A.P. Thayer
Why did you submit to trash to treasure lit?
I saw someone tweeting about TtTL, I forget who and what they said, but the way they described TtTL's goals grabbed me right away. I took a look at the site and read more about what TtTL is trying to do and knew I wanted to submit. The writing process is so chaotic and mysterious (not in a romantic way), that only by being open about the entire writing process, I feel, can the industry thrive.
How would you describe your writing practice?
I work on my writing every day. Some days that looks like administrative things or social media work, other days it's good sized sessions of writing or editing. I find I work best in the morning and if I'm ever feeling in a rut, I pack up my things and head to a cafe to write. The change in scenery usually kickstarts me.
What is the biggest thing that stops you from submitting work to lit mags/journals/publications?
It took me some time to learn that the literary world is full of so much rejection that adding my own self-rejection wasn't worth it. Since then, I've been able to submit whatever I want, wherever, knowing they'll tell me if I'm a good fit. Nowadays, the only thing that prevents me from submitting to certain places are if I think the piece I'm submitting is very far from what the pub is looking for. If it's close, I'll let them decide.
Do you think the writing industry has an impact on your confidence in your work (good or bad)? Why?
I think I've gotten a decent amount of confidence because of submitting. I've had a fair few personal rejections that remind me that my work is good, but the work may not be a good fit. I've also been a slush reader for several publications and know that not only are submissions very subjective, you have to choose a tiny fraction of all the submissions to publish. So much work gets rejected that has nothing to do with the writer or the quality of the piece.
When do you start to doubt a piece that you are working on?
I think the pieces I have trunked over the years are those which started their journey with a seed of doubt. Maybe I took a risk on the style or content and was never really fully committed. Maybe the piece was from a prompt or for a submissions call that I wasn't fully invested in. Whatever the case may be, that seed usually continues to grow as the rejections pile up until I feel fine locking the piece away.
Once you trash one of your pieces, what makes you come back to it (if ever)?
I have yet to come back to a piece I have fully trunked. If I were to do so, I think I would just cannibalize ideas from the piece and work it into something new. I don't think I'd try to edit it into a workable piece.
How many pieces do think you have currently in your 'abandoned' folder?
I have around a dozen pieces that are trunked right now.
What is the ultimate reason that you trash your work?
It's not fully me.
Is there anything that would stop you from trashing your work? (More education in writing, more publications/less rejections, a change in the industry, etc)
I don't think so. I think it's okay to take risks and find out that you're not fully committed or invested in a piece, even after working on it for sometimes years. It's all part of the learning process and part of how I shape who I am as a writer.
What writing advice have you been given that has changed your perspective on how you treat/view your work?
Rejections are never personal and art is subjective.
If you have any upcoming work (books, publications, features, art, etc), feel free to mention them here, so that we can support you!
I have a story coming out in neon hemlock's Luminescent Machinations, an anthology set to come out at the end of this year or early 2023. Thank you!
A.P. Thayer is a queer, Mexican-American author based out of Los Angeles who writes cross-genre speculative fiction. His work has been published in Space Fantasy Magazine, Uncharted Magazine, Los Suelos, and Neon Hemlock, among others. He is a full member of SFWA. Find him at www.apthayer.com or on Instagram and Twitter under the handle @apthayer.