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Posts tagged ‘Motivation’

Dec 15

How to Deal with Writer’s Rejection

If there is one piece of advice I can give any writer it is this:

Be professional.

It is easier said than done when you have a mound of rejections. It’s hard to stay motivated, to not take it personally, and most of all to not quit when you see the rejection after rejection of your stories.

You’ve spent months, or even years, writing something that you love and now you have the task of trying to get it out into the world. To work so hard on something and invest time with no reward coming in site can discourage even the most motivated writer.

Publishing is a business. Often rejections have nothing to do with writing. You may be a great writer, but the publication, or agent, just isn’t a good fit. I’ve been rejected because my work was too long, too short, or the very common “not right for us.” *Sigh* We’ve all been there, and if you haven’t because you’ve just started your journey, you will be there.

But rejection can be good too.

It’s good for the ego. You may think you are the next Hemingway, Baldwin, or Atwood, but really you are not there yet. Your work is derivative, or not polished enough. The diamond is still struggling to come out of the coal. Getting rejected may force you to take another look at that story. Is it still your best work? Can you improve it somehow?

Also, it takes time to find where you fit. You writing style develops over the course of years and finding the right place to showcase your work hardly happens overnight. Okay, I’m sure there are some writers who got their dream agent and dream publisher on their first try, but most of us are not lucky like that. We have to try and try and try some more to get a “yes”. I’ve had story rejected 10, 20, or more times. Some writers have more than me.

I read a meme somewhere that read, “Rejection is evidence of trying.” If you have a inbox full of rejections, congratulations! You are putting yourself out there and trying to be a published writer. You are going further than a lot of other people.

I met a young woman a few years ago at a writing class. She told me she took class after class to get inspired to write. I was a bit horrified, but I politely told her that nothing will motivate you to write, you have to just sit down and do it. I realize now that she was scared to put herself out there. So she didn’t even try to write and was caught in an endless loop of taking classes and thinking about writing.

Don’t be like her. Start writing. Don’t be afraid to get rejected.

Rejection may also make you a better writer. If I had my first novel published at nineteen, I don’t think I would be the writer I am today. I know I wouldn’t be the writer I am today if I had my novel accepted back in 2008. That rejection is what made me go to grad school and focus on my craft more. It takes time to find your voice, develop as a writer, and get that experience under your belt. Now rejection is not fun, but I don’t let it affect me.

The good news is that every year someone decides they are going to start a literary journal, become a literary agent, or go work at a publishing house. That person may love your work and want to give you a chance. There is always hope and as long and you let rejection fuel you and not discourage you, you may see great results.

I hope everything is going well with your writing. Next post (around the end of the month) will be a recap of my 2024. So Happy Holidays (if you are celebrating) and everyone keep writing!

Oct 5

How Do You Measure Growth? – Beginning of Oct 2024

Last month marked a milestone for me. Ten years ago, I got my first fiction story published. Prior to that, I had a couple of non-fiction pieces published, but nothing else. I was happy to realize that I was still on this journey, writing and publishing. I’ve had bumps along the way, but I’m still picking up the pen (or booting up the computer) to get the story down. I mentioned this to my mother, and I had an epiphany.

I had real, measurable growth in the past ten years.

My first two stories were published in two anthologies. I knew the editor and she had encouraged me to submit. I had a pretty good feeling that I would be accepted (about 90%). It was a good beginning and I was happy to finally have some stories out in the world to show people. My family could have something in their hands that would prove that I was a “real” writer. (I should note that no one ever made me feel bad about being unpublished. It was just nice to show them after all the years of talking about it.) It was good for my ego too. I had two books in my hands that listed me as a contributor. Humble as they may be, it was a start.

My next two stories came out in 2018 and 2019. These were two stories that I had workshopped in grad school. They had gone through multiple revisions and had at least a dozen people comment on the work. Both had been rejected from 20 or so places, but I persisted because I believed in them. They, at last, found a home and I was proud of both of them. The growth aspect came from the editors. They were complete strangers. These folks received submissions all the time. My stories had been good enough to convince them to publish me.

And, finally, we get to the two stories that got accepted this year. Both of these stories were written after I graduated. No workshopping (but I do have a critic group and they read over and commented on both stories) and no prior relationship with the editors.

Folks, I’m off the training wheels and riding this bike on my own! I may be slow on this journey, but I’m getting there.

The growth in my writing career is there. I can see it, but it is only obvious when I look back over the years. In a snapshot of a year or two, you won’t see much. But ten years later? Yeah, there is movement. It’s a reminder to me that a writing career is a marathon, not a sprint.

I’m still on this journey and I’ve made progress.

Jun 23

End of June 2024 Round Up

Happy summer!

I hope everyone is having a great summer so far. I’m basking in the comfort of air conditioning and hard at work on my next writing project. While I’m happy to enjoy the sunshine, I don’t really like to sweat. Indoors I stay.

Let’s recap my writing news for the first half of the year and what I hope will be some achievements for the last half of the year.

In March, I decided to really try and get some stories out for submission. I made the commitment to submit five times a week. Although there was a week I didn’t make it, I made up for it and submitted extra the following week. As a result, in the month of April I got two acceptances. I was floored. I’d never had that happen before, but it motivated me to keep going.

One story (Siren Call) is already out. The other will be published this fall. After four years, it feels good to see some of my work out in the world again.

Also, I finally stopped procrastinating and self-published two of my previous short stories for Amazon Kindle (See the Published Works Page for the link). They came out so long ago that the rights have reverted back to me and I’m putting them back out into the world. I will do the same for my other stories too (both published and unpublished). I view my short stories as marketing for an eventual longer work. The short stories are cheaper and shorter in length, so if someone is unsure whether they want to buy a novel, they can buy a story and see if they like me.

And I am writing a novel. I still have a long way to go, but I’m making progress. Like I said, those two acceptances have been great for my motivation. I’m hoping to be done with a first draft by September 1st.

Also, I have four other short stories that either need to be finished or rewritten. I’d like to get them submitted too.

So, in the last half of the year, I have a novel draft to finish and four short stories to work on. I’d like to self-publish two more stories (one in 3rd quarter and one in 4th quarter), get two more acceptances, and have a complete draft of my novel. That’s a lot, but I like aiming at big goals.

Finally, I quit X (Twitter) last fall, but I have joined Instagram. Feel free to follow me here.

Hope everyone’s summer is fun and productive!

Jun 2

3 Strategies I Use to Keep Writing with a Day Job

So here are three strategies, I use to get my writing done while holding down a day job.

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May 12

The Time I Quit Writing #1 – Mid May 2024

Spring is here and I can't help but think of renewal when it's this time of year. I've also been a little nostalgic and found myself thinking about my early adulthood.

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