"I started to send my work to journals when I was 26, which was just a question of when I got the courage up. They were mostly journals I had been reading for the previous six or seven years"

Marilyn Hacker is recommending that it took her a long period of time to develop the nerve to send her work to journals. She was 26 when she finally did so, but she had been reading the journals for the previous 6 or 7 years. This suggests that she had recognized with the journals for a long time, and was most likely knowledgeable about the quality of work they released. It was just when she felt confident in her own work that she was able to start and send it. This quote speaks to the importance of confidence and the nerve to take dangers in order to achieve success.