In the act of sending out a short story to yet more literary journals. Gifted Underachiever James is hit by the thought, “Why bother?”
Is this the first sign of a burgeoning nihilism? Sort of, but not really. In fact, it is James feeling like literary magazines are becoming a pointless exercise. He’s met mostly by rejection, often from young people at a college MFA program. But even when the hoped-for acceptance arrives, the readership is small, pay nonexistent, and there is a lack of forward momentum.
Unfortunately, creatives of all disciplines face gatekeepers and the stench of frequent rejection. What to do? Give up? Nope. We aren’t built that way. Show us the nearest, highest, and densest creative brick walls and we will ram into them over and over.
Nonetheless, we can do more that hope and wait for acceptance. One idea: view our individual pieces as a Minimum Viable Product. (Hint: a minimum viable product has more than one life it could lead.)
Questions for Listeners
* How do you get past negative emotions?
* Nihilism?
* What keeps you going, and where can we get some?
For Further Exploration
How Modern Life Breaks Creative People
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