In 2024, I set a goal of 50 rejected poems and shared my learnings after being encouraged by several poets and joining a #100rejections group online. In 2025, I set a firm goal of 100, and results felt triumphant as early as September. If you read about my transition into 2026, you’ll understand that if 100 rejections appear before me in 2026 it will only be 2025’s ghost. But in mid-April (thank you, Florida Bards, for soliciting a submission and kick-starting my 2026 year), I rebooted submissions on a small scale and have acquired some rejections and acceptances.

But First

Why focus on a rejection goal? It’s not a desensitizing exercise (that’s not the purpose, anyway). The idea is that submitting more work to more places will result in more accepted pieces. If the general acceptance rate is somewhere between 1% and 5% (more or less, depending upon to whom you send your poetry), 100 submissions should yield some acceptances. This is not my original thinking. Experienced, published, award-winning writers and educators shared this wisdom with me.

How Did it Go?

I got busy in 2025, hitting 100 rejections in September. This was good, because fall invited all manner of other obligations to pull me away from submissions. By year’s end my rejection total hit 120.

New Learnings

In addition to the seven things I learned during my first year, here are six more tips:

1. ABW (always be writing).

If you don’t write, you won’t generate anything new to get out in the world. Prompts are all around, if you pay attention. Easily said, not always easily done. (This year I’ve learned that ideas and insights mean nothing if you just can’t write.) Not to worry, though. If you can’t write, edit. If you can’t edit, read. If you can’t read, observe. Inspiration will find you if you keep looking. And it costs nothing but time to put words on a page, even if they don’t bear fruit. Submission deadlines wait for no one, but the page will always be there for you.

2. Prioritize.

Only you know how much time you have to devote to submissions and which submissions are most important. I’d say a good prioritization approach is at least twofold: 1) target lit mags and/or anthologies that will help you meet your publication interests (community, readership, reputation, etc.) and 2) submit poems that matter most to your current project(s) and goals. I shifted my goals and priorities this year, missed some planned targets, and am not beating myself up. After four months of nothing, in April I was thrilled to be submitting at all.

3. Use a system.

Without a system I’d be lost. I need a list of prioritized targets by deadline so I don’t lose sight of the actions that will help me reach my goals. My brain cannot possibly hold where I’ve submitted each poem. I would hate to overlook an outlet to whom I should have sent a withdrawal! You’d think the details of acceptances would be top of mind, but even there I need a list of what’s been accepted, when they should publish, and when they did publish. I note payments, courtesy copies, weblink, first published notice, and the like, to keep track. Whether you use old school paper or online tools, or a combination of the two (like me), the best system is a system you will use.

4. More fun together.

Work groups and accountability groups definitely motivate me. Sharing our wins and misses (along with occasional tears, laughter, and tales of life), working together to improve art and craft, these groups offer more than growth. They can become a solid social support system–and that offers benefits far beyond writing results. I love my poetry community.

5. (But don’t compare.)

We are each on our own journey. Comparing yourself to other poets will usually not end well. I enjoy the mix of experience and interests in my work groups. The diversity stretches me. Even when we enter the same contest or call, I’m excited when any of us has a poem accepted.

6. Celebrate.

Always make time to celebrate those wins, whether it’s hitting rejection goals (especially the higher tier rejections); getting an acceptance (especially from a priority target); or receiving a payment, weblink, or courtesy print copy. Even when pressed for time, everyone can find 60 seconds to soak in those wins. (Even better, invite a friend!)

A Few Details

In 2025, I wanted to balance old and new venues. I wanted to expand my poetic presence in Florida-based or -focused publications and seek placements in some literary journals I’d never approached before. Here’s how it went:

• Among my new rejections were Enchanted Haiku and Boomerlit. I also struck out on my first poetry sub to Pine Mountain Sand & Gravel, but the editors chose my digital photographic art, and this anthology has color images! Most notable among repeat rejections was my annual decline from Cutleaf.
• Among new acceptances, Abyss & Apex accepted “Relapse” in issue 95. My first submission to Emerald Coast Review resulted in several acceptances (poetry and photography!). Rawhead Journal was a cool, new mag to home my poem Beneath the Bones.
• For repeats, I once again entered the Florida State Poets Association contests in 2025 and tried their call for submissions: several of my poems appear in Cadence 2025.To my surprise, another of my poems was accepted into Encore, the anthology for the National Federation of State Poetry Societies.

KEEP CALM & CHASE #100REJECTIONS

As 2026 wends its way toward the point I had 100 rejections last year, I’ve reached only 26. I won’t reach #100REJECTIONS this year, but I’m not changing my target. If you have not set a goal yet, why not join me? Set a last-blast 2026 rejection goal, whatever number feels comfortable for you. September alone offers plenty of submission opportunities. Give it a try … and share how the experience went for you.