About “us”

Arthur Klepchukov

First, there is no us. Words Beyond Me is a one-person effort, run by me, Arthur Klepchukov. I prefer Art. And short stories.

I started submitting in 2015. I stumbled through Poets & Writers and New Pages. I paid for Duotrope and tried The Submission Grinder. I worked at Submittable and Chill Subs. I published pieces short & long in places big & small. I taught workshops about submitting online and in-person.

My spreadsheet grew complicated but never satisfying. None of my tools felt like they cared about rejections or if I kept going. Maybe that's not a tool's responsibility. But couldn't our tools inspire us?

I kept going. I kept tinkering. The Rejection Whisperer and Cover Letter Writer made me dive deeper.

This is not about numbers or being a better database. Words Beyond Me is for the long journey ahead of anybody who writes. It embraces reading. It's how I make sense of submission guidelines. How I choose what to submit. How I persist and make room for ideas and celebrate wins. Things no spreadsheet cares about.

Your words deserve more than a quiet corner on your computer. Let's find them a home.

And then there'll be more of us.

Principles found on my journey

Opportunities before submissions.

Opportunities empower. The opportunity to share. The opportunity to be accepted or published. The opportunity to be read by those you don't know. Think conferences, scholarships, workshops, retreats, readings, representation, and more. Think of the opportunities.

Drafts need to incubate.

Editors consider publishing any given piece of writing only once. Capture your first draft enthusiasm and let it bake into another draft. Your critique group, your future self, and your readers will appreciate it.

Reading is the best reason to submit (and share).

Don't submit just because your piece fits the genre and length; so do countless others. Submit because you loved something they published. Put that in your cover letter. And share it with the world, just like you'd want your words to be shared. Let's see where people are reading, not just a swarm of submitters (or Pushcarts).

Money spent & earned are the only worthy numbers.

Response times, rejection rates, the volume of submitters, and intricate, aggregate charts are feeble attempts to feel in control of things we'll never control. What did you pay to submit, if anything? (So you can deduct it). What did you earn, if anything? (So you can treat it as income). Those are the only numbers professionals care about.

Outcomes, not statuses.

Submissions have outcomes--primarily rejected or accepted. Statuses are internal to editors and publications. Statuses appear on places like Submittable because Submittable is for decision makers. What does a status mean? It's up to the place asking for your words. And since meanings vary, don't spend time here. Statuses are beyond your control.

You won't know why you were rejected.

You'll know only if someone wants you to send more words. Believe them. Send more words.

Cherish your wins.

Earning a publication. Getting acccepted (for anything). Finishing a draft. Returning to writing. Taking a step forward. It all counts.

Ideas are stronger together.

Capture ideas so you keep having them. Write it down. Big or small. When you're stuck, glimpse the potential of everything you could write.

Your writing career deserves a home.

Drafts here, critiques there, opportunities elsewhere, contracts hopefully somewhere, and ideas everywhere. How about an inspiring, nurturing place that unites all the disparate, but ultimately connected, parts of your writing life to push you forward?

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