How did I make literary magazine rejections into a game? You can read about it here, with awesome contributions from @electrarhodes.bsky.social, @finnwritesstuff.bsky.social and @aniking.bsky.social and a cameo from @lindzmcleod.bsky.social: tyrtle.com/2025/08/29/s... #WritingCommunity #LitMags
You are on the best writers I know. Hands down. And not because I love you, which I do, but because your work is weird, stunning, and thought-provoking.
RIGHT BACK AT YOU also I'm not crying there's just so much cat hair in here
SQUISHY - leave your fur coat on your own body, not in Sage’s eye!
OMG I love him so much!
Omg i love his face!
Ha, it’s kind of giving this, in the best/sweetest way: 😺
HA TOTALLY
FAAAAACE
Great article, Sage. Thank you so much!!
I'm so glad you liked it!
🥰🥰🥰
Thanks for this, Sage! I put off even writing fiction for many years out of fear, and I’m just getting started on the submissions rollercoaster. I’m so glad to have other writers to l learn from. It’s a pleasure to have you in the SmokeLong crew! (Also: I need to try this magical TO sushi place. 😋)
You SHOULD, it's called Miku at 10 Bay Street, I loved everything we ate there. See you in SmokeLong!
Thanks for sharing your journey and your vulnerability Sage, it resonates for every one of us! I recently read inspiring advice: that we need to remember there’s always a lottery element to it but by participating we are supporting the ecosystem of literary mags. Oh and your work is fabulous too! 🌟
*beaming* What a kind thing to say, thank you so much -- love the idea of adding in supporting the ecosystem of literary mags as well. The world has never needed art of every kind more.
Exactly. And since I read that I have found the rejections easier to bear - of course they still hurt, some more than others, but adopting that mindset helps it to feel like there's still meaning in the whole process.
Wonderful insights. Thank you for sharing this. It's exactly what I needed to hear today, in the last hurrah of what's been a pretty dismal summer for my inbox.
Oh wow! Brilliance - the sushi, the bookshelves, all of it. I love this concept so much, Sage! Thank you for sharing your journey and for persisting with your craft, the world is a better place. 🍱🥢🍱
What a kind thing to say, thank you!
ooh a game! i love games! & i also love this smart/funny/brave essay about the downs & ups of writing 👏🙏🤗
I also love games -- if I can gamify something I immediately am ten thousand times more willing to do it. This is my current task list, I found wooden hexagons at Dollarama and put icons on them to represent tasks.
This is such a great idea! I've only toyed with goals like "submit X number this calendar year" or "get rejected 100 times in a year" but striving for a 100-rejection streak, after which you get a reward, is just next level. Only one problem: what if you never eat the sushi again??
RIGHT?! *wonders how many times a month I can sub to the Paris Review and New Yorker before I make 100*
... can we make a rule that you also get sushi once per 100 subs?? And then if you get to a 100 streak you get the ultimate bonus sushi 😁
Very cool. Anything to keep going1
Love this post! You should join Reneé Bibby's Rejection Competition in 2026, takes the sting out.
Fantastic to read these perspectives, Sage! Thanks so much for including me in the conversation and I’m so glad you’ve found a way to keep writing; I love your work!
Ani, I love your perspective and thanks so much for being part of this essay - I recently included "This is Milkweed" in a workshop on point of view and people adored it just like I do.
Oh my gosh! 🥹🫶 thank you!
