How to Survive The Paris Review

Stop Sending One-Draft-Too-Early Poems Into the Void

At The Page Gallery Shop, we believe that every poem deserves more than just a quick scribble tossed into the endless abyss of submissions. Stop sending one-draft, half-forged poems into the void.

This isn’t your typical pastel-tinged “creative writing journal” that offers airy platitudes and empty encouragement. Our latest workbook is a brutally honest, hilarious, and fiercely practical guide designed specifically for writers who face relentless form rejections and can’t figure out why.

Structured like the workshop that somehow never invited you, each chapter dishes out drill exercises that:

• Banish cliché metaphors before they take root

• Compel you to test your lines out loud, catching what print misses

• Force you into the uncomfortable but crucial habit of ‘sitting on your drafts’ until every word is undeniable

Crafted for the underpublished, the neurodivergent, the writers ghosted by literary magazines too many times, this workbook shies away from vague, feel-good advice. Instead, it delivers concrete tools:

• Inventory tables to map your poetic growth

• Risk-stanza drills that push your daring to new limits

• Sound audits to tune your poem’s music

• Rejection reframes that refuse to let disappointment stop your momentum

This isn’t about diluting your distinct voice or selling out to the mainstream. It’s about getting your work closer to the standard that truly lands, whether that’s The Paris Review or any space that honours art unfiltered.

Because sending out your work shouldn't be a game of blind chance. It should feel like you’re playing with intention — armed with knowledge, sharpened craft, and an unwavering creative spirit.

Carry a piece of the Page Gallery experience with you. Transform your writing pilgrimage from wild guesswork to deliberate artistry. Your poems deserve no less.