Let me tell you something I’ve learned about getting published. If everyone says “no” to your writing, it’s probably not them…it’s your writing.

Not being afraid to drastically change a piece of writing is a cornerstone of getting published. And that’s exactly the sentiment I embraced when my short story “cleo” was going NOWHERE in the submission process.

“cleo” was always based on my real life rabbit that we put to sleep when I was about twelve. And while the piece was grounded in r...