Publishing Diaries: Angela Lam

On her personal essay “How Art Saved Me When My Brain Was Broken,” published in Open Secrets Magazine

Welcome to Publishing Diaries! In each diary, you’ll meet a writer who has had a piece published in a literary magazine in the last year or so. They’ll share insights about writing, revising, submitting, and ultimately getting the piece published. Interested in sharing your journey? Let me know by filling out this form.

👋 Meet Angela Lam, a visual artist in Northern California. Fallen: A Post-Concussion Memoir chronicles her healing journey through the arts following a concussion and is fully illustrated with her artwork.

Angela has 100+ publications and would rate her experience level with submitting as Advanced.

This Q&A with Angela will focus on her personal essay “How Art Saved Me When My Brain Was Broken,” (read it here) published in Open Secrets Magazine in November 2025.

How did this essay start?

I saw a call for submissions for a new column at Open Secrets Magazine and decided I had enough internal material to attempt a personal essay. The new column was about hobbies. I decided my art life would be the perfect hobby to write about, especially since it was the only thing I could do since my concussion.

When did you start writing it?

The same day I saw the call for submissions in fall of 2025.

How long did you work on this essay for?

This piece came out almost whole in the first draft, which has only happened a handful of times in my writing life. It was a much-needed gift after losing so much. For months, I did not know if I would ever read or write again. I was using voice-to-text technology to teach creative writing, even though I had too much pride to tell anyone of my disability. When the neurologist said my eyes were fine, but my brain was damaged and could not process what I was seeing, I honestly thought my life as I knew it was over. So, to be able to write something coherent without a ton of revision was a small miracle.

How many drafts did you do?

I did one draft with three small revisions.

What was your revision process like?

I read the piece aloud and corrected things that were off. I let the piece sit overnight and reread it the next day. Finally, on the third day, I recorded myself reading the final version to make sure it said what I wanted it to say. It was a little arduous because my cognitive abilities aren’t what they used to be, since I was still recovering, according to my neurologist. Plus, I have always struggled with word choice.

How did you know it was ready to submit?

A warm feeling spread throughout my chest. That’s always a sign a piece of writing is done.

How did you decide which publications to submit to?

I wrote this piece specifically for Open Secrets Magazine.

How many rejections did you get before the piece was accepted?

I was lucky and this piece was the first one accepted for the new column.

What made this acceptance particularly special?

I thought my writing career was over. To receive this acceptance was the proof I needed to know I could resurrect both my career and my life. It was the first paycheck I had received from writing since my traumatic brain injury. Before the accident, I enjoyed years as a professional writer and writing instructor with over a dozen published books and countless short pieces published in numerous journals.

What’s your dream journal to be published in?

The New Yorker. I submitted a poem three years ago, but they recently rejected it.

What are some journals you recommend other writers check out?

I don’t have specific journals in mind. But my writing friends advise checking out Poets and Writers magazine for current calls for submissions.

What advice do you have for other writers submitting their work?

Write from your heart. Write what you need to express. Find a publication that matches what you have to say in the way you need to say it. Sometimes the publication finds you before you have written a piece (like this one did). Most of the time, however, you need to do a lot of research by reading what is out there before you find a match for your work.

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You Could Be Next!

Thanks for reading the latest installment of Publishing Diaries! I’m currently looking for more writers who want to share their publishing journeys. If you’ve had a piece published in a literary journal within the last year or so, and it’s available online for people to read for free, please fill out this form and I’ll be in touch!