Being on the editorial side of the publishing process—doing the choosing rather than asking to be chosen, as I so often am—is humbling and has made me take my own writing at once less and more seriously. What I mean is this: It is a boon for your writing and your spirit when you no longer allow yourself to be terrorized by every rejection, while at the same time being rigorous in your craft and feeling secure that your work is worthy of being published. Each rejection doesn’t have to mean something; in fact, it often doesn’t, since there are many reasons why an editor might pass on your work. (Still, make sure you’re familiar with the kind of work that particular editor usually publishes before you submit.) Be certain that your writing is up to your own highest standard and that it is uniquely yours. Write what surprises you, what scares you, or what you’re ashamed of. Write with specificity, write into the details of your or your character’s experiences—the smaller the better, as it is in this ability to access the microscopic that we discover the universality of our condition.
—Chachi D. Hauser, nonfiction editor, Hunger Mountain
Photo credit: Jesse Wallace