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Blackout Poetry

Ever felt the sting of a rejection letter? Trust us, we’ve been there, and if our poetic skills were as strong as our enthusiasm, we’d be laureates.

But here’s a secret: you don’t need to be a poet to experience the magic.

Don't just face rejection--erase it!

What’s so great about redacting some text? It’s unbelievably cathartic. Taking something painful and altering it so that it makes you laugh out loud takes the power away and reclaims them.

an old newspaper with a cartoon of a man and woman talking, the words are blacked out accept: genuine art less waste desirable results price moderate. beside the image reads: anything can be turned into black out poetry... including your rejections.

It doesn’t just making the words less daunting, it can spark joy, laughter, or reveal a profound insight you didn’t realize was hidden there.

It’s cathartic and transformative.

So take those words that once weighed you down and turn them into your canvas.

Words Transformed

This is where we showcase poetry from our writing community!

We credit images anonymously, indicating only the writer’s genre and the number of conquered quests (that’s what we call queries sent — because it’s freaking brave and they are heroes!).

This is where celebrate the bold spirits in our writing community by showcasing their blackout poetry.

We honor writers’ anonymity, sharing their poetry masterpieces without names, but with a nod to their literary realm and the number of number of conquered quests (that’s what we call queries sent — because it’s freaking brave and they are heroes!).

Dive into this treasure trove of resilience and creativity, where words find new life and writers become warriors of the written word.

Dear, worf we ate the egret his luck will continue inside us
Poetry from an SFF short story writer, who has braved over a dozen quests.
Thank you Nevertheless, Don't give up! keep going
Poetry from an Epic Fantasy and Romantasy writer who has ventured on over 100 quests.

Want to Weave Some Magic of Your Own?

Got a rejection letter burning a hole in your drawer? Or maybe just feeling creative? Here’s how you can share your own blackout masterpieces with us:

  1. Join the Adventure: Sign up for our email list below. It’s your first step into our community of creative rebels.
  2. Create & Share: Unleash your inner poet on any piece of text (though we have a soft spot for rejection letters) and email us your artwork.
  3. Spotlight Moment: If your piece dances to the rhythm of our hearts (and meets our guidelines), we’ll showcase it here, on QuerySurvival.com, under the veil of anonymity.
Guidelines for Submitting Poetry
  • A Labor of Love: Please understand that submitting your poetry to us is a generous act of sharing your creativity with our community. At this time, we are unable to offer payment or compensation for submissions. Your contribution is valued as a heartfelt expression, enriching our collective experience and providing support and inspiration to fellow writers.
  • Be Creative, Not Cruel: While we embrace the catharsis of transforming rejection into art, we do not accept submissions that contain hate speech, personal attacks, or cruel sentiments toward agents, agencies, or any individuals. We aim to heal, not hurt.
  • Respect for All: Your poetry must be free from discriminatory or derogatory content based on gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, or any other characteristic. We’re a diverse crew on this literary voyage, and we celebrate that diversity in all its forms.
  • Focus on Transformation: The beauty of blackout poetry lies in its ability to give old words new meanings. Let’s focus on the transformation and the creative expression, rather than the original context of rejection.
  • Original Work Only: Ensure that the text you’re transforming into blackout poetry is either your own (such as your query letters or manuscript excerpts) or from works that are in the public domain. Always respect copyright laws.
  • Keep It PG: This website is for writers of all ages, so please ensure your submissions do not contain explicit content.
  • Anonymous: All submissions will be displayed anonymously, with only the genre you queried and if you like the approximate number of queries you sent for the project.
  • Embrace the Process: Remember, the goal here is to find joy, humor, and perhaps a bit of enlightenment in the face of rejection. Let’s keep the atmosphere supportive and encouraging.
  • Rights and Permissions: By submitting your poetry to us, you grant us the right to use it on our website, in our newsletter, and in any other forms of publication to promote our site. If you change your mind and wish for your poetry to be removed, please email us, and we will do our best to accommodate your request.