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I’d like to say I know how you feel, but I’m not very good at submitting poetry, wouldn’t even know where to begin, and when on the very rare occasions I have I’ve always assumed it will be rejected. But I imagine if you are sure it was a good fit etc then it must be devastating. I hope you keep writing here though, I really like reading it.

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Thank you! That's so lovely to hear. It's a weird thing to submit my work and I've puzzled a lot about why I do it. Initially it was for external validation (which is the worst possible reason because the bruises are so frequent) now it's because I want my work to be read more widely and I know that to have a full collection published I need that good track record. Its something I intend to explore more thought the Japan series I think xx

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You are doing so much! And it all counts. Just submitting is a whole full-time job in itself--or, at least, it easily can be. You show how there is so much more to being a writer than writing.

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Thank you Rita - I so often feel I'm doing nothing! Submitting is the part I hate most. As you say, it's a full time job and so very slow. I'm bored of what I've written by the time I learn its fate!

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Apr 30Liked by Kathryn Anna Marshall

Yes! I know and share all those feelings. So I rarely submit--with predictable results. I'm OK with it though. At least for now.

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Sounds like you’ve got LOTS done! I had grand plans but have been hit with a cold that makes me feel (melodramatically) like I’m dying! I know that pain of rejection. It’s a wound, even if we can rationalise it away. Hope you can immerse yourself in the rest of your creative work as you heal!

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Colds are the worst - rest up ! And yes, it's a fine balance between not sinking into despair when publications say *thanks but no thanks" and not dismissing the fact that it feels rubbish!

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