Extreme Anxiety Due to Publication/Writing Goals

This is the issue I'm struggling to get across. I don't have a target audience. I'm not writing for people of a particular political system. I just want to write stories and not have to rely on overly political magazines. My last story is about a young boy who envisages a beautiful tower in a rundown city. It has nothing to do with politics, only aesthetic considerations. I want that to stand for itself in a self published collection, not be in some magazine with [insert far left political goals]. But it's so difficult to find the motivation to collate my stories, refine them, pay for a proof reader, pay for marketing etc. Magazines are insanely difficult to get accepted, but at least all you have to do is send an email and sign a contract.

Unfortunately I'm struggling to see it your way. If editors support CRT, that tells me something about them. I don't want anything to do with them. This applies to any other issue. If it's a respectable nonfic journal whose ethos is about accepting other viewpoints, that's different. Fiction magazines aren't really like this though.

 

I simply don't care for making labels and immutable characteristics the most important part of human existence, which is why I feel I can't submit to most magazines because they're obsessed with identity politics. I just scrolled through issues of Apex and there are so many interviews and essays about representation, "discovering Black Speculative Fiction" (as if skin pigmentation matters), "tearing down monuments to hate", and people sharing their "experiences with sexism and racism in an unexpected place." This is just one magazine. One outlet.

I think it's been valuable submitting over 100 times as it's allowed me to see that I really have no interest in being a part of this sort of thing. I mean, I'm seeing articles about the "male gaze" and there's even an article about the Slender Man stabbings. Why? The nature if writing means that you have to be lumped in with everyone else. The more I think about it, the more I'm convinced I just want to do my own thing and have my own little collection of stories untied to anything else. Just a shame it's even more difficult.

But again, it's not clear cut as I'm still submitting to nonfic journals. I think the distinction to be made is whether there is a huge focus on identity politics or not--and most fiction magazines are obsessed.

 

I have to be honest, I don't see your problem. Representation is important. Discussion about sexism and racism is important. Having these themes represented in Fiction is important.

 

I'm confused. What does an article about the Slenderman stabbings have to do with being woke?

It's a very interesting subject with many complexities, from the influence of the internet through to the failures of modern parenting and child psychology.

 

It doesn't have anything to do with woke politics. I'm trying to get across that there are many reasons for my not wanting to be in a lot of these magazines. I don't care for any of this extra content, really. It could be a feature about anything and I'd have misgivings about it because I just want to have my stories and that's it. Neat and distinct, if that makes sense. I suppose it's like putting out a graphic novel but for some reason you need to tolerate a bunch of random extra content that has nothing to do with your stories. It's unfortunate I'm struggling to get this across. I'd hoped more people could at least understand this less complex facet.

Sure, every time I write this I see the contradiction with submitting to nonfic journals but not fiction magazines but I think it has something to do with the nature of these journals and their, well, respectability. I said it before but I've subbed an essay to Sci Phi Journal. They openly say they're fine with dissenting opinions. The editor is a non woke Catholic and the other editor is a secular atheist. This is good. Also... The reason for their existance is to talk about bigger and more important subjects than skin colour and what you like to do in bed. That's a plus.

EDIT: I don't want to be lumped in with whatever ze/zer from Portland thinks about race or queer expression... That's it, really. It has nothing to do with me. I just want to write stories.

 

I agree wholeheartedly. Everyone should be able to write. But the far left lens isn't helpful in the slightest in my opinion. But this is getting into politics proper. I just don't want to be lumped into magazines where these conversations are happening at all. See my recent comment to Naomasa.

 

Personal opinion:

I feel like this should be moved to the debate room.
OP is not interested in advice, suggestions, differing opinions. OP is not receptive to these things either.
There are no "writing goals" either. OP wants to debate everyone one who responds with the same exact argument (just a different magazine title as his example).
OP states he does not want to talk about politics yet every response hes made comes down to politics.

To the OP: Teladan, you contradict your self so much, i feel like you dont even know what you're talking about anymore.

• You want a magazine to cater to your needs ONLY. Yet you want a wide readership.
• You dont care about race or sex or gender..... Yet you care so much about them, it stops you from submitting to magazines that feature them.
• You dont care what stories are about and believe that people should write what the want.... Yet you feel that kind of stuff shouldnt be published.
• You're not political.... Yet every single reason you've listed as been about politics.

This is a YOU problem. Not an everyone else problem. Not a magazine problem or an editor problem. You're anxiety honestly may just be coming from your fear of a changing world. Things are changing from what you know and is becoming more inclusive and diverse than what you are use to and these changes you see as a personal attack/threat to you.

 

Everyone is able to write, including you. Assuming that your posts in this thread aren't just trolling, I'll say that you aren't the only one who looks upon today's publishing industry as a far left wing nightmare, but that's the way it is right now. There was a time (in my lifetime, if not yours) when only white men need submit stories to anthologies. Then the current crop of editors assumed dominance in the industry, and they had been steeped in identity politics for most of their lives, and were determined to correct the inequalities of the past. As always happens, in their zeal they went too far and the pendulum swung over to where we are now. Cooler heads will eventually prevail, and you may be young enough to wait them out. In the meantime, keep writing.

(I only suggested the possibility that this thread is one long troll because each of your posts is surprisingly identical to all the others. I think we understand your point, but you seem determined to reject any offered solution.)