You're typing away when you hear the squeal of the mailman's truck. You jump out of your seat and rush outside. Anticipation builds as you get to your mailbox. Will today be the day the editor will respond? You open the mailbox and find an envelope from the magazine. Anticipation turns to excitement as you tear open the envelope and find not an acceptance letter, but a rejection.
Rejection. That word can fill a writer's heart with pain and questions. Why was my story rejected? What can I do to make it better? What does the editor have against me personally? We've all asked those questions when a rejection letter finds its way into our mailbox.
Every writer, no matter how famous, has been rejected. Some writers have been rejected dozens of times before a publisher took a chance on them. The best thing a writer can learn is how to live with rejection. Because you know it's going to happen...you just don't know when. But help is on the way. Here are some tips to help you live with the inevitable and learn from it too.
1. Always remember only the piece you submitted has been rejected, NOT you as a writer. The editor isn't saying you are an awful writer. He's only saying what you submitted isn't right for their magazine at that time.
2. Getting rejected is a natural part of being a writer. Every writer on the planet, no matter how famous, has been rejected.
3. Remember that pieces get rejected all the time for all kinds of reasons, most of which have nothing to do with the piece. Too long, too short, wrong setting, wrong main characters. Any of these things can knock your piece out of contention, and have nothing to do with your ability to write.
4. Don't let rejection shake your faith in your work, or your writing ability. Keep submitting and keep writing. You will find a market for your work.
5. Be patient. Don't expect to get your first or even your second submission published. It might take longer; it could take years to find the perfect fit of writer and editor. When a piece is rejected, don't let it collect dust. Send it right back out.
6. Put encouraging rejection letters - yes, there are such a thing - acceptance letters, copies of publisher's checks, and copies of your published works in a prominent place where you can read them when you're feeling down.
7. Counter the emotional string of rejection by doing something you enjoy when you receive a rejection letter. If you get as many rejection letters as I get you may want to do something every other time, or every tenth.
8. If you get thoroughly sick and tired of rejections, put up a sign above your desk that says, "some editors wouldn't know good writing if it bit them on the backside!" If your symptoms persist, add a funny illustration.
Before I started writing this, I went through my rejection folder. Yes, I've kept every rejection I've received since I started submitting my work, almost 26 years ago. I counted 89 letters telling me my work wasn't right for their publication for various reasons. Some letters are polite, some are pretty rude. I had one editor tell me my fiction story had "no basis in reality". I still have no idea what that means, but I found it amusing since the story idea came from a newspaper article about someone doing exactly the same thing my hero does in the story.
It can be pretty demoralizing, but remember life isn't full of rejection only. I've received some wonderful acceptance letters - 25 to be precise. One editor told me I had a "magical writing voice". Which letter do you think is hanging above my writing desk?
Rejection happens. Writers have been dealing with it since the beginning of published time. It's going to happen, no matter what you do and no matter how good of a writer you are. The only thing that is important is how you deal with it.
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About the Author
Dawn Arkin is an author on
http://www.Writing.Com/ which is a site for Fiction Writing. Her portfolio can be found at
http://darkin.Writing.Com/ so stop by and read for a while.
