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Posts tagged ‘Rejection’

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!

Apr 16

Should I Submit to Non-Paying Markets?

This is a dilemma many writers have. Should you only submit to places that pay, or do you widen your search to everywhere no matter if they pay or not?

My stance for the past few years has been to submit only to places that pay. My initial publications were at places that didn’t offer payment, but now that I have a few publication credits, I’ve only been focused on paying markets. Problem is, I think I may be missing out. Am I limiting myself by only going for markets that pay? Or is it a disservice to myself and my work by going for markets no matter if they pay or not?

I see the refrain of many successful writers. Never work for free. Money should flow toward the writer.

But a lot of writers feel that when you first start out, and you don’t have any credits, you should submit anywhere. You don’t have the luxury of being picky. You submit everywhere that is appropriate for your work whether they pay or not. Once you have a few pieces out, build a following, and get some experience, then you can start submitting to the big leagues.

Then, I’ve read some writers that say start at the top paying markets and then work your way down. Swing for the fences first and when those markets are exhausted, you move down the list.

And then there are writers who say the only places you should be submitting are ones that pay. Anything else is a waste of time. I don’t necessarily agree with this notion. There are a few places I really like and would love to be published in print (like Conjunctions). Also I think that if you are getting something you believe is beneficial to your career from the publication(maybe lots of eyes on the piece, or listed on Amazon with other writers, or for charity), then it may be worth it to submit.

For now, I’m in the second camp. I submit my stories to the best places first. Once they get rejected, I move on to the second rung journals, and so forth. This way, if a story gets published I don’t have the regret of saying, “Maybe I should’ve submitted to ______ first.” There is a lot more competition for the higher paid places, but moving away from those, I’ve noticed there are more places that I thought that pay semi-pro rates (.03-.05 cents/word) or token payments. Nobody is getting rich, but still feels good to get fifty bucks or so for a story.

I guess there is no one way to get it right. Maybe some of the amazing, non-paying markets offer great opportunities that I am missing. However, I can’t get over the fact that I want to be paid. I don’t work at my day job for free, so why would I be okay with my writing career? And other writers may disagree and build an amazing career build on lot of non-paying credits. Each writer has to make the best decision for themselves.

I may revisit my feelings about this in a few years to see if my strategy worked or not. I’m sticking to my plan and working hard to make all my stories successful.

Apr 7

Rejections are Humming Along

I currently have 78 rejections with a few more currently out. I think I may hit 100 this year.

Four years ago I embarked on a 100 rejection challenge. I slacked off last year and didn’t really submit, but now that I’m back at it, I’m racking them up. To some this may seem like an act of self torture, but writers will understand. Racking up the rejections means you’re putting yourself and your work out there. Rejections mean you are trying. It means you are creating and asking the world to see you.

Also, submitting increases your chances of getting published. You won’t be published if you don’t submit. Can’t see your bylines if you don’t let the editors know about your work.

Put yourself out there. Submit. And rack up the rejections.

Apr 2

Don’t Give Up – 2019

             You know what to do.

Do you need to hear this today?

Don’t Give Up!

Sometimes I need to hear it.

You know those days when nothing seems to be going right and you think you’ve wasted time? That’s when you need to hear it. Or maybe it’s when you were so sure about something and nothing came from it. Maybe that’s when you needed to hear this command.

Don’t Give Up!

I got a rejection letter the day I got out of the hospital. I got home, took some pain pills, settled down, and made the mistake of looking at my e-mail. There was the succinct letter saying (very politely) the usual version of, “Thanks, but it’s a no. Good luck with the story.”

Oh man! I didn’t want to see that…

Not the day I get home and I’m puffy from the IV fluids.

Not the day I’m popping pain meds every six hours.

Not the day my stomach hurts because of the twenty inch incision made three days ago.

No. Nope. Nada. This sucks. Rejection sucks.

But I didn’t quit. I love that story. I know it will find a home.

How do I know?

Because a few days later I got another e-mail. Somebody — some blessed stranger — bought my chapbook. They plunked down their hard-earned monies and bought my book.

I was honored and humbled.

A couple months later I saw a call for an anthology. My story would be perfect for it. It opened April 1. So, you know I submitted it right away!

Don’t Give Up!

You never know what’s going to happen next.

 

 

Jan 30

Goals for 2019

It’s 2019! Happy New Year!

I’m 26 days out from my surgery and feeling good. Not going to lie, it was a tough recovery and I didn’t really feel good until around the 14th (about a week after I came home from the hospital). But day by day, I felt better and while I didn’t get any writing done, I did have a lot of time to think about what my goals were going to be for the year. For the first time in a while, I can really concentrate on writing. I don’t have to think about money, or my health. I’ve cleared those hurdles, and while I’ll keep an eye on other parts of my life, this year, I’d like to shift the focus back on getting my writing career moving forward.

Also, please enjoy these snowy pictures I took. It may be cold, but winter can be beautiful.

Goal #1– Finish my novel

I’ve been working on and off since 2014 on this book. It needs to be finished. Even if it is bad, I need to finish it. For a long time, I didn’t think I had another novel in me. I wrote two other novels years ago (think late 90’s and early 00’s) and they were bad… but I finished them. This new novel is the first idea I’ve had that I think could be a full novel. I JUST HAVE TO FINISH.

Goal #2 – Write 6 new short stories this year.

This one is a bit of a cheat. I have 2 stories that I’ve started and I need to finish them. So really, I just need to write 4 completely new stories. Not too hard. I’ve found that calls for themes in journals, or, anything really, can spark a story for me. I also find them to be a good break in between novel writing.

Goal #3 – Write 100K words

Not hard if I finish my novel.

Goal #4 – Grow followers of the blog

I’ve had this blog for a while now. 10 years (next month) I think. And while, I’ve never been too hung up on growing my following, I shouldn’t ignore it either. I think the best way to do this is to post more often. Consistency breeds growth.

Other Goals

  • I haven’t forgotten about my 100 rejections challenge from a few years ago. I’m still doing it. I got 3 more rejections this month. Currently, I’m up to 75.
  • I also want to attend more writer conferences. So I think I will set myself the goal of going to 4 this year — one for every season.
  • More consistent with the blog. I’m thinking about changing the look, but we’ll see.

That’s all my writing goals for 2019. Wish me luck. See you on the next post!

What are some of your goals?

 

Dec 30

2 Comments

2018 Recap – The Highs and Lows

Hi Everyone. 2018 is almost done and I thought I would share the good and the bad that happened this year. Usually at the beginning of the year, I have such lofty goals. I tend to aim high with my writing ambition, but reality always has a way of bringing me down to earth. In a way, this is good. “Swing for the fences,” I say.

But it can be a bit of a let down when you get to the end of the year and you’re nowhere close to where you thought you would be. Still I did accomplish a few things.

First, let’s recap the tough stuff:

  • I didn’t publish a blog post once a month like I said I would last January. Honestly I got too busy with the day job, house hunting, and health stuff (more on this later). Now that I finally have a few days off, I can post something.
  • No story acceptance this year. If you don’t submit, you don’t get accepted. In the first half of the year, I didn’t submit anything. I got better in the second half and got a couple of personalized rejections (always nice), but I was so used to getting something accepted that I am kinda bummed I won’t have a new publication to share. Still maybe this means I will have more than one in 2019.
  • I didn’t write enough this year. What is enough? Yes it’s arbitrary, but I wanted to finish far more than I did this year.
  • I wasn’t a good literary citizen. I didn’t go to any book festivals or conferences. I didn’t go see any writers speak, nor did I buy many books this year (I got a gift card for Christmas, so this will soon change.)
  • Finally, my health declined somewhat. Starting around February, I noticed that I didn’t feel like myself. I didn’t feel bad, just different. My energy level was low and I felt a familiar ache in my lower abdomen. Needless to say, my fibroids, that I had surgery for 8 years ago, had grown back. I couldn’t have the surgery right away because I didn’t have enough vacation days. Pair that with an outpatient surgery on my right breast (not cancer) to remove some abnormal cells and the anemia that came with the fibroids, and you see why my fall and early winter felt like an endless stream of doctor visits.

Now let’s look at the good:

  • I had a story published this year at 4StarStories. I’m so happy this story found a home! After years of rejections, this really gave me a boost.
  • Without any marketing, I managed to sell a few copies of my chapbook that I self-published a few years ago. Considering that most self-published books never sell one copy, I’m proud that a few copies made it out into the world.
  • I finished 2 stories this year. Despite my lack of writing, I did finish a couple of stories. And a finished story is always a good thing.
  • Despite having no acceptances this year, I did submit to new places. This year, I submitted to a few markets that I read, but never really considered submitting too. They were either doing a theme that I had nothing for, or I didn’t have any story at the time to submit. This year I tried my best to send something to new markets, even if I didn’t think it would be a great fit. In other words, I didn’t self reject. I submitted work that I liked and let the editor reject me. You never know until you try. (Side note: I submitted things that were still in the market’s parameters. I just didn’t let the voice in my head that keeps telling me to pass on the market because the story isn’t good enough win.)
  • I did a writing retreat this year. I’ve already written about it, but I loved it and can’t wait to do another.
  • I bought a condo. Even after months, I still have to get used to the idea. But so far, I’m liking it.
  • Even with all my health problems, I’m getting better. My first surgery went really well. I had very little pain and recovered quickly. My second surgery is this week, and I’m glad it is so early in the year. I want to start off 2019 with a healthy beginning. Plus, thanks to the iron pills for the anemia, I have some energy back. I think in about 2 months, I’m going to feel so much better!

So that was my 2018. After my surgery, I’ll post my “Goals for 2019”.

Happy New Year! See you in 2019!

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