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The Course Alumni Have Published in Over 200 Journals and Anthologies!

Lit Mag Love Student Stories

How Gwen went from never daring to publish to publishing and persisting to submit her writing.

”Gwen Martin freelanced as an editor for decades but had drawers filled with short stories and essays she never dared to think of publishing.

“It felt easier and more permissible to support other people’s creativity through editing their writing than to allow myself the same encouragement. Occasionally, I tried to organize writing sessions once a week with friends, hoping the accountability factor would kick in, but those attempts fizzled.”

Even when she sought inspiration in lit mags, she felt discouraged.

”I discovered so much fantastic writing that I felt, ‘What’s the point? Everyone’s light-years ahead of anything I could do.’ Besides, I was nearing 65 and believed my stories might be too … traditional. They’d never find a home in today’s lit mag scene. I knew – or thought I knew – that most mags’ first readers were younger writers who favoured edgy and experimental work. Besides, my brain shorted out trying to process the hundreds of literary magazines on the market.”

It took a health scare for her to break this cycle of thought.

“Fearing your life might end in a year is a gauntlet hurled to the ground. Serendipitously, I heard of the Lit Mag Love course and signed up immediately before I could invent One. More. Excuse.”

She says signing up for the course was the best writerly move she ever made.

“The Lit Mag Love course brought my writing intentions to life. Lesson after lesson, module after module, it gently but firmly encouraged a systematic approach that cut through the chaos of my earlier efforts. It made me take one tiny step after another until, almost without realizing it, I’d submitted stories to thirteen literary magazines.”

Learning about all the factors that influence an editor’s decision was a most helpful part of the course for Gwen.

“These sessions revealed the many factors (beyond writing quality) that affect editorial decisions. The more I learned about the realities of lit mag production, the more I came to view a story’s rejection as a step along its journey, not as an endpoint. One editor’s reject can become another editor’s gem. I’ll never look at writerly rejection again in the same way.”

But the best aspect of the course for her was the “community generous supportive souls who cheered each other on through every confusion question and rejection note.”

“Our Zoom meetings became the highlight of those early-Covid months. They offered a sense of writing positivity that lasted long after the course ended. I truly miss those meetings and my fellow participants, some of whom have become e-friends. Our group became more than the sum of our writerly selves, and I will carry the warmth, humour, and encouragement of those connections into my future writing life.”

She’s now enthusiastically fulfilling a promise to herself.

”I’m now solidly on the road to doing what I promised myself I would do, which is to keep writing with a view to publication. So far, I have three more stories in the hopper, almost ready to submit.

I’ve also gained the gumption to continue my formerly half-baked plans to write a mystery series. In fact, several lessons from the Lit Mag Love course have helped me to systematically design a database of potential characters, murder motives, and plot scenarios.

Meanwhile, as of two months after the course ended, I’ve received five rejections and one acceptance from those original thirteen magazines. I’m cheerfully prepped for another seven rejections, but you never know!”

Would she recommend the course to her friends? Yes!

“I’d tell that friend to make the leap and sign up. Period. The excellent course structure keeps you accountable, diligent, and productive. Learning how to research and create a customized, detailed submission list of literary magazines is worth the entire course alone.

The attentive community of participants – including the course leader, Rachel – offers the gift of regular feedback and support, which helps to reinforce the habit of writing daily and doing the work.

I’ve taken many writing workshops over the years. This is the first one that stuck.”

How Tamara went from the heartbreak of rejection to saying “yes” to her writing.

How Rowan built her writing network with no “writing establishment” connections.

Join the waiting list

be the first to know when registration opens—and get special course offers!