The movie Forrest Gump was released almost thirty years ago today. Is it still too soon to use the “box of chocolates” metaphor? For the sake of this post, I hope not.

Imagine it’s Valentine’s Day, and you’ve received a box of assorted chocolates (someone loves you!) – with coconut cremes, bon bons, almond clusters, and two kinds of caramels. Except the label is missing, the one that says which flavor is which. You have to bite in to find out, enjoying all the suspense and surprise of the unknown.

That’s what it’s like to read a literary magazine.

I like dark chocolates best – the darker, the better, though I’ll take a hint of salt, caramel, or coconut. I know what I like, or at least I think I do. Sometimes I’m surprised. But maybe you don’t like dark chocolate. Or coconut. Or sweets at all, you heathen.

That’s fine. Literary magazines have something for everyone.

I didn’t know that until recently. In fact, I’d never read a single literary magazine until this past year. I’m not proud of it. And not only that, I didn’t even know they existed. For shame.

There’s no excuse, really, because literary magazines have been around my whole life. And it wasn’t that I didn’t read – I read to the point of pathology. I read books, poetry, shampoo bottles. I read magazines. And literature. But never before had the two been combined, and now I’m sad I lived this long in litmag darkness.

It all started with writing. I’ve come at writing from an odd angle – no English degree, no background in writing and literature, just the compulsion to write, stories to tell, and a lifetime of reading under my beret. Turns out, I love it. Writing is addictive, satisfying, and the possibilities for improvement are endless.

So, I wrote a novel. That may have been getting a little ahead of myself. I reconsidered. I wrote a short story.

It was bad.

But then I wrote more short stories, poems, and essays. Some of them weren’t as bad.

Now let’s say that I wanted my writing published, shared, judged and read. How does that happen?

I looked it up.

The options are self-publishing, seeking an agent, propositioning small publishers, and/or submitting to contests and literary journals. The latter is a great start for new writers – look for opportunities in your genre and geographic area. Local journals are more likely to publish local authors. The trick is to read the journal first, to find out what they publish.

I submitted. I received rejections. To date, I have received approximately one hundred rejections. The number grows weekly. I look forward to many more to come.

But I also received a few acceptances – with so many submissions, it was bound to happen eventually. And each one of those acceptances made all the rejections worthwhile.

The icing on the cake is receiving my copies of the periodicals that publish my work. I’ve been delighted to find myself among such good company. I didn’t have any clear expectations of what a literary journal would contain, but what I’ve found is a taste of various authors’ voices and styles, a bit from each genre, and stories interesting enough to dog-ear and share with friends. When I find a piece I like, I look up the author’s blog, books, and other publications.

Literary magazines have connected me to a community I wouldn’t have otherwise known existed and given me a framework for judging my own writing. They’ve enhanced my reading, my writing, and my life. They also tend to showcase some great artwork.

Literary journals are works of love – love from the authors who contribute their pieces, but perhaps more so from the editors themselves. The editors print their journals because they love the craft of writing. They believe in providing authors with a place to share their work, sparking conversations around literature, and the potential of the written word. Thank you, editors!

This year, I’ve been published in/am upcoming in three North Carolina literary magazines:

moonShine review (Harrisburg, NC)

–        Editor Anne Kaylor gave me the most detailed (and wise) feedback and editing advice I’ve received. Even when she’s sending a rejection notice, she is exceptionally considerate and attentive. moonShine review press also hosts the annual Kakalak Poetry Contest & Anthology.

The Next Chapter Literary Magazine (New Bern, NC)

–        Editor Michelle Garren-Flye can be found at her bookstore, Next Chapter Books and Art, located in downtown New Bern. Visit soon to pick up a copy of the literary magazine and a wide selection of books by local authors.

Main Street Rag – (Charlotte, NC)

–        Editor M. Scott Douglass leads this literary magazine and publishing company. In the words of Carteret Writers member Jan Parker, Douglass “has done more for the writers/poets in North Carolina than any other small press in the state.” Visit their online bookstore for a wide selection of poetry, fiction, and nonfiction offerings.

So, open a literary magazine, sink your teeth into a bite-sized morsel of poetry or prose, and satisfy your craving for something rich and decadent, a flavor that lingers long after you’re done. Perhaps next time, your finest confection will be included in that box, too.