The Role of Journals in Sustaining a Writing Life

If you have been receiving these letters for a while, I think it is pretty clear I am pro lit journal. I have worked on a few and I’ve been doing the 100 rejections challenge for years getting rejected predominately by lit mags. I am a fan. I know not everyone sees the value. I know writers who have never read a literary journal in their life (sad!). So, I am going to do a little preaching, with no agenda other than I want you to like what I like.

Journals and magazines provide a direct pathway to recognition. Consider the Pushcart Prize. Journals nominate the work they publish for it, and those nominations can mark the turning point in a writer’s trajectory. It’s quite something to be singled out by the editors who curate and champion literary culture year after year. The Pushcart anthology is read by agents, professors, and editors, and it circulates widely in the very communities that decide which writers receive broader opportunities.

There are also journals and outlets with mass cultural weight, the ones that can vault a writer into a wider public consciousness overnight. The New York Times “Modern Love” column has made authors’ names recognizable far beyond literary circles. A single essay there can lead to book deals, film options, and a readership that will follow your work for years. Pieces in online publications like HuffPost have landed writers on television, not because television producers suddenly care about the nuances of prose style, but places like these outlets act as validators. They prove you have something worth their time.

For self-published authors, journals create credibility. Your novel may be fully in your control, but if no one outside your immediate audience endorses your work, the reach is limited. Literary journals and cultural publications provide third-party recognition that builds trust with readers who might be hesitant to take a chance on an unfamiliar name. Traditional publishing operates in the same way: editors are more likely to take a chance on a manuscript when they can see a writer has a history of serious journal publications behind them.

There’s also the point of contribution. Submitting to journals isn’t only about personal gain. It’s about sustaining the ecosystem that allows literature to thrive. These publications operate with slim budgets, often volunteer staff, and yet they create the cultural infrastructure that keeps literature alive between major releases. When you send them your work, subscribe, or share their publications, you are strengthening the very foundation on which new voices and careers are built. Supporting journals is supporting literature itself.

I would love to get a letter from you that says, I took your advice, submitted, and now you can read my piece here (insert link to where you published it). I want to be able to share your wins. But you gotta take a chance to get that acceptance letter. And of course, first you have to write the essay, story, or poem. Off you go my friend, write the piece, submit it, and then write me back when it’s out there in the world.

Notes on Rejection

Jane Friedman recently published my essay How a 100 Rejections Challenge Prepared Me for Life's Biggest Rejection. If you haven't have a chance to see it yet, you can read the piece here.

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