Chapter 1: The Writer's Dilemma

A writer once pondered if he was merely a confused old fool. This resonated with me, as I often find myself grappling with the same question. After some contemplation, I concluded that he is not, and neither am I.

Photo by Clay Kaufmann on Unsplash

For further insights, here’s a link to his article:

The Frustration of Waiting for Responses

Perhaps I am, indeed, an old crank who resists change—something I can identify with. What truly strikes me is his remark about withdrawing articles from non-responsive publications after waiting for a week or so. I’ve been in that boat, but I always feel a twinge of guilt when I see the notification indicating that editors are still considering my piece.

Is it possible they are deliberating how to gently tell me it’s not suitable for their publication? Or are they astonished that this remarkable piece of writing has found its way to their modest magazine? Or perhaps the delay stems from an intense discussion on how to fairly compensate me?

The reality is likely much simpler: an overwhelming number of submissions and a shortage of editors.

As a newcomer to Medium, I’m still figuring out how to navigate the platform effectively. Currently, I submit my work to around six publications, most of which respond swiftly and positively. However, in my quest to broaden my audience, I constantly evaluate other publications to see if my topics align with their focus.

I’ve submitted to a few that seemed promising, yet after a week of silence, I’ve withdrawn my submissions, worried that I may have forever tarnished my chances of being published by them.

This impatience is undoubtedly influenced by my experiences with larger publications outside of Medium. I’ve memorized their editorial guidelines, crafted concise queries, and then… waited. And waited some more.

A response would be nice. Any feedback would suffice.

Even a blunt “your writing is subpar; pursue another career” would be better than silence. Eventually, I resign myself to the likelihood of no response at all.

I also engage in fiction writing and receive a similar lack of feedback from literary agents. A few generic rejection letters from those who do reply only add to the discouragement, making me question my commitment to writing.

I reached that low point before discovering Medium. The platform has offered me valuable interactions with fellow writers and even a modest opportunity to earn some income. This experience has been overwhelmingly positive, so consider this more of a reflection than a grievance.

Here’s an interesting twist: the comment section on his article indicated he had received 20 responses. Yet, the summary at the top of the comment section showed that my comment was the first.

I noted this inconsistency in my reply.

Ten minutes later, I returned to the site to find twenty-one comments—his twenty plus my note about the glitch.

It was slightly embarrassing; had I simply overlooked them? Could it be that I truly am a confused old fool?

No, they definitely weren’t there… and then they suddenly appeared. Twenty comments in total.

Ah, the joys of technology glitches.

Photo by Alex Knight on Unsplash

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