Yat Batjouh, Yih Batyau: to do something by hook or by crook; to not stop halfway

Yes, that's me hiking in Montserrat, Spain.

I'm excited to announce the publication of my flash fiction piece, "Look Again," in the March issue of Foliate Oak Literary Magazine. Part of my enthusiasm comes from finally feeling validated as a writer. Here's a parallel example that explains my thinking: When I did math problems at school, I always double-checked my answers. If I ended up with the same solution twice, I assumed that I had completed the problem correctly. Having a repeat publication gives me that same sense of assurance in my writer's identity.

In adhering to the title of my story, I looked again over the process of how I got my name in print. Here are two things I discovered:

1) Work hard.
Follow the yat batjouh, yih batyau rule. It took many submissions before I landed an acceptance (special thanks to Khara House's Submit-O-Rama challenge for kickstarting my journey). It still stings me to receive a rejection, but now I view it as part of the process. I know that if I persevere through the pain, it'll pay off.

2) Editors are whimsical.
My published works have, so far, come out of a fiction workshop through the UCLA Extension Writers' Program. They started out as required creative exercises for the class. The first one that got published, "All That Glitters," was a fun piece that I dashed off in minutes. I didn't realize that it would get picked up so quickly by IdeaGems Magazine. It just goes to show that you never know what editors will select, so go ahead and write what you love.

What lessons have you learned when you've looked again at an experience?