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Wednesday, January 20, 2010

an honor

I have been reading Brevity for years and I’ve dreamt of being published there. The first two pieces I submitted (one in 2004 and one in 2005) were both excerpts of Ready for Air. In each case, I tried to condense a scene or chapter from my memoir into a 750-word essay. It didn’t work.

Then last spring I spent a lot of time reading and re-reading Brevity’s past issues, and I finally felt ready to submit again. I felt ready because my writing had improved immeasurably over the past years. I felt ready because I was armed with images that had been floating in my head for over a decade, images that I knew could hold together in one short piece. So I sat down and I wrote an essay, a very short essay. It was not something that I chopped and manipulated from long to short. It was something I wrote for Brevity.

I’ve posted before about patience and perseverance, which I believe are necessary if you want to be a writer. And I really do believe they are necessary. I believe that you should never let a rejection stop you. You shouldn’t even let fifty rejections stop you. You must—always—keep writing. You will get better. The market will change. And someday, you’ll get the thing you’ve been dreaming of. And then you’ll feel honored and you will have energy to write even more.

I am honored: Brevity #32.

18 comments:

Andrea said...

Wonderful! I love it--I can taste the tortillas, smell the dust, feel the music...can't wait to read all those books you're writing!

Betsy said...

WOOOOT!!! What an amazing piece.

Joy Riggs said...

Great essay! Congratulations.

cath c said...

congratulations and wonderful essay! feel like i'm there.

Elizabeth said...

It's so great -- and your words of wisdom are wonderful, too...

Mary said...

wonderful Kate...I was transported!

Mummy mania said...

wonderful - and well done. And great advice too - in this world of quick fixes we often forget that it takes hard word and perseverence to get what we really want. As such... I will keep trying!

Annmurt@aol.com said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Annmurt@aol.com said...

Wonderful writing Kate! it speaks to all the senses. Let's get this entire book out there.

kate hopper said...

Thank you, all.

Anonymous said...

Congratulations, and thanks for the inspiring post!

Melissa said...

Congratulations!

Scheherazade's Den said...

you're an inspiration is all i can say! you make me hungry to keep writing despite my multiple/countless rejections

magpiedays said...

Oh that's awesome, congratulations!! It's a wonderful essay, so perfect for the form.

(I'm a Brevity fan too.)

Toby's Mom said...

Congratulations, Kate! Beautiful essay.

Carrie Pomeroy said...

Wonderful! The ending is perfect.

What a different kind of adventure than the motherhood adventure you're having now--and yet it all connects, doesn't it?

Thank you for sharing your breakthrough!

6512 and growing said...

Congratulations on your perseverance and courage!

Anonymous said...

i actually just read your essay on Brevity this morning, which led me to your blog.
what a gorgeous piece of writing that essay was. though i'm not a mother, i'm a daughter, and i'm friends with many mothers, including those who write. i'm passing this blog on, and i'll keep reading. your work is lovely.
congratulations! : )