No Wasted Ink Newsletter & Ramblecast - January 2025
a newsletter and voiceover podcast by Poet Laureate Emerita Wendy Van Camp
Welcome to the monthly No Wasted Ink Newsletter. My name is Wendy Van Camp and I’m Poet Laureate Emerita for the City of Anaheim, California. This newsletter is not affiliated with the city. All views stated here are my own.
RAMBLE
Happy New Year!
January is a month I tend to look forward to as a writer. It is the dead of winter and there are few appearances happening once the New Year celebration is over. Some years I schedule group writing to get a head start on a book or poetry, but this year I admit to being more in a mood for a rest. I have no active resolutions for the new year other than to be more mindful of my work load and allow myself time for personal activities.
January is my “tax month”. I spend a great deal of time putting my business in order so I know what I owe the state by the end of the month. My small press and writing coach business has a few clients and I’m in the planning stages of putting together a new journal featuring speculative micro poetry. Eccentric Orbits, my anthology of science fiction poetry is on a brief hiatus during January.
My plan for January is to continue to fill out speaking and teaching applications for 2025, outline a novel I hope to work on this winter and early spring, and write more poetry as I find the time. Santa brought me a rather large set of gouache paints and I hope to begin a regular art practice using these along with my watercolors. I discovered a local urban sketchers group and want to join up with them either this month or the next to enjoy fresh air and new friends.
As for resolutions, I don’t really have any other than to lose a few pounds if I can and to write more. About the same as most writers I know.
What are your New Year’s resolutions?
yours in poetry,
Wendy
ESSAY
The Benefits of Submitting to Literary Journals and Contests
As a poet, I used to dream of seeing my name in print. I imagined opening a journal and spotting my words tucked neatly among the pages. But let me tell you, getting there felt less like a dream and more like scaling a mountain in a thunderstorm, drenched in rejection emails and second-guessing every step.
I’d spend hours scribbling lines, editing and re-editing, only to get that familiar “Thanks, but no thanks” reply. It stung. Sometimes, I’d sit staring at those emails, wondering if I should pack it all in. Then, after one particularly disheartening rejection, I had a lightbulb moment: Maybe the problem wasn’t my writing, but the way I was putting it out there.
So, I changed my game plan. I started doing the kind of research that would make a detective proud, digging into journals and contests that felt like the right fit for my voice. I stopped trying to please everyone and focused on sending my work to places that actually got me. And guess what? Things started to shift.
Finding the Right Fit for Your Work
Let’s face it: blindly sending your work to every journal under the sun is like throwing darts in the dark. You might get lucky, but chances are, you’ll just dent the wall. Instead, think about what makes your writing unique. Do you lean toward lyrical poetry? Maybe you write stories with a bit of a surreal twist. Whatever your thing is, there’s a journal out there looking for exactly that.
Websites like Duotrope or NewPages are great for scoping out journals and contests, but don’t sleep on Google or even social media. Plenty of smaller publications are hungry for fresh perspectives, they just might not have the budget for big advertising. Before you submit, take a peek at their past issues. If their vibe doesn’t match yours, no harm done. Move on to the next.
The Devil’s in the Details
Okay, let’s talk guidelines. I know, reading them feels about as exciting as assembling IKEA furniture. But trust me, editors notice when you follow the rules (and when you don’t).
Picture this: You spend weeks perfecting a poem, only to have it tossed aside because you submitted a PDF instead of a Word doc. Heartbreaking, right? Save yourself the pain. Double-check formatting requirements, word counts, and any extras they want, like a bio or a cover letter. If a journal wants a specific font or line spacing, give it to them. It’s not about stifling your creativity; it’s about showing that you respect their time and effort.
Rejections Don’t Define You
Let’s be real, putting your work out there can feel like handing over your diary and waiting for someone to critique your deepest thoughts. It’s scary. But the more you do it, the less it stings.
Start small. Set a goal to submit once a month. Keep track of where you send your work, and celebrate every submission like it’s a win. And if rejection emails roll in, try not to let them knock you down. Every “no” gets you closer to a “yes.”
I remember one rejection letter that ended with, “This isn’t the right fit, but we’d love to see more from you.” That tiny bit of encouragement fueled me for weeks. Sometimes, it’s not about getting published right away, it’s about knowing someone out there saw potential.
Keep Going, Keep Growing
Submitting to literary journals and contests isn’t just about getting your name in print. It’s about building connections, finding your audience, and growing as a writer. Sure, the process can feel overwhelming at times, but every submission is a step forward. So, take a deep breath, click “send,” and trust that your words will find their way to the right readers.
Because they will.
SCIFAIKU
from polaritons circuits to simulators switch matter to light
This scifaiku is part of a series about a gemstone that make quantum computers possible. This is the third segment about the unique properties of this single source stone. The poem was published in Eccentric Orbits 4.
UPCOMING APPEARANCES
SFWA Quarterly Poetry Open Mic (Virtual)
Hosted by Wendy Van Camp
Featured Poet: Sultana Raza
January 25th
11am Pacific time
Members and nebula attendees of the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers Association are welcome to attend the Poetry Committee’s open mic. Bring your verse to share with your fellow poets and hear the unique poetry of our featured poet Sultana Raza. Sultana’s performance will be recorded and be seen on the SFWA event page and later be found on the SFWA YouTube channel.
Writing Coach Services
with Poet Laureate Emerita Wendy Van Camp
I’m pleased to announce I have opened my consultation service at Indigoskye Press. I offer single hour coaching via Skype. I can help you navigate through the complex process of organizing a poetry chapbook, to either publish Indie or to prepare to entice a small press to pick up your book. I can explain how to Indie Publish your novel. I can also help on board potential science fiction authors and poets into the convention scene. If you need help with a long project, let me be your guide.
You can also order a block of three sessions at a discount.
Please visit my shop via the link at the top of my portfolio website or go there direct: https://indigoskye.com
LINKS TO SOCIAL MEDIA
Portfolio - http://wendyvancamp.com
Amazon - https://www.amazon.com/author/wendyvancamp
Medium - https://medium.com/@wvancamp
Indigoskye Press - https://indigoskye.com
X (Twitter) - https://twitter.com/wvancamp
Instagram - https://instagram.com/nowastedink
Mastodon - https://me.dm/@wvancamp
Bluesky - https://bsky.app/profile/indigoskye.bsky.social
BOOKS
The Planets: a scifaiku poetry collection - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07Z8HMPF2
The Curate’s Brother: A Jane Austen Variation of Persuasion - http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00OU1V45A
ANTHOLOGIES
Eccentric Orbits: An Anthology of Science Fiction Poetry
Volumes 1 - 5
Editor
Available for purchase: https://dimensionfold.com
Anaheim Poetry Review 2023
Volumes 1 - 2
Editor
Free to Read: https://anaheimpoetry.com
Eye To The Telescope: Quests #46 - Fall 2022
Guest Editor
Free to Read: https://eyetothetelescope.com/archives/046issue.html
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Thanks for the words of wisdom, Wendy. My goal this year is to collect as many rejections as possible 😅