Publishing Diaries: Richie Smith

On his flash essay “Floodlights,” published in CRAFT

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 Richie Smith, a New York artist, writer, musician, and cardiologist at Mount Sinai Doctors in New York. His work has appeared or is forthcoming in The Brussels Review, X-R-A-Y Literary Magazine, Confrontation Magazine, and The Banyan Review, among others. He is currently completing his first novel. Find him on Instagram @smithheartpoet.

Richie has ~20 publications and would rate his experience level with submitting as Advanced.

This Q&A with Richie will focus on his flash essay “Floodlights,” (read it here) published in CRAFT in January 2026.

How did this piece start?

I thought about mortality and how everyday objects, even our clothing, outlast us. I always have this childhood memory of a storage closet in my basement containing my parents’ out-of-season clothing, and the clothing seemed as ancient as the oil burner next to the closet.

When did you start writing it?

About one year ago.

How long did you work on this piece for?

I did a very rough draft in one sitting and then revised it a few times over the following few weeks. This piece was an exception, as most of my work requires many months of revision.

How many drafts did you do?

About three or four drafts.

What was your revision process like?

After I thought of my mother’s blouse hanging in that closet, it made sense to start with the memory of missing chemistry class to dress up as Queen. I thought about setting up the lights for our “concert,” and as I edited, I filled in details about the cruise when my mother wore that blouse and her cancer surgery. The idea of the floodlights in the operating room and on the boat came much later. The details of the car ride when I was asked about my mother’s cancer were one of the last embellishments I added.

How did you know it was ready to submit?

The piece seemed to flow with brevity and was tight enough to grab me emotionally.

How did you decide which publications to submit to?

I used Chill Subs, Duotrope and Google to search for high-quality publications that were interested in short creative nonfiction.

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

I had one rejection and the rest of my submissions were withdrawn after the piece was accepted by CRAFT about a month later.

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

Persistence is key. Acceptance is really a numbers game. But it helps to keep editing your work until it seems strong enough to fit in with the samples you read in the publications you are submitting to. It’s important to keep recycling your work, editing older versions if they are rejected more than perhaps six or ten times. Sometimes the best work is the idea that comes to you quickly, and in that case, you should finish the piece as soon as possible, spend a week or so editing it, and send it out. Don’t let all the ancient clutter in your recycling warehouse hold you back.

---

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!

---

Strengthen Your Submission Strategy

Come learn all the dos and don’ts for submitting your work to literary magazines with me!