What do publishers mean when they talk about the importance of diversity?

i can relate to how you feel about spending so much effort on a hobby without success.

but i don't think the "diversity" issue should be a major factor here.

the real question it seems that you and i are both facing is, do we want to keep writing, given the fact that we have no evidence that other people (lit mags) think our stories are any good?

for me, i guess i have a core belief at this point that i have writing talent. that alone keeps me going through the rejections. i believe deep down that, even if the stories i've written so far are bad (or just not trendy/relatable), i have a non-zero chance of striking gold with my next one. it also helps me that i'm not "all in" on my writing -- as in, i have a day job, and i'm not sinking all my time in my writing hobby. so even if the writing is all for naught in the end, i haven't sacrificed too much for it.

i'd be curious to hear more about what's going on for you.

/r/writing Thread Parent