Why I Don't Submit To Journals

It's not the reason that you might be thinking. It's closer to the fact that I hate writing things based on themes. Especially when I get going with my writing, and start building up steam, I'll often completely forget about the theme I was suppose to write for. It doesn't matter how vaguely worded the theme is, it's just not something I enjoy doing.

And my thing is, why write something if you don't enjoy writing it? Your readers are going to know that you didn't enjoy writing it, so you basically just subjecting yourself to uncessessary misery. It also gets me into the trap where I'm constantly having to write short stories, rather than trying to focus on finishing a novel, which is something i've been somewhat trying to build toward for some time.

I just don't see the need to limit myself to under 5,000 words, when I know if I worked at it, I might someday be able to make it to 15,000 words every time I wrote a new portion to a story. I find trying to limit myself wholly unecessary. I'm tired of limiting my writing.

This doesn't even go into the industry blacklists they tend to engage in, and the general "author stalking" that's permitted by writing message boards, even though all the author is doing is explaining why they prefer to write novels than short stories. And if you try to defend yourself, it's you that ends up being treated as a spammer.

It takes more to defeat capitalism than just having a magazine that claims to be communists. It needs to engage in the behaviour that doesn't place undo hierarchy on other people.

Otherwise we might as well wear a giant banner on our heads, saying "We are a creative writing monopoly."