If you're getting rejections from your submissions, please don't quit yet until you read the following article. I want you to get a perspective on rejection.
First of all, I'll assume you've been told a few things about rejection: Don't take it personally; it's a part of writing; and all well-established writers have been rejected at first, and are even rejected now. Good advice.
Then why are you still discouraged by rejection?
Here's why. We live in a world where ignorance is bliss. You get rejected all the time, you just don't know it. Perhaps a friend has considered calling you to do something and then changes her mind. You will never know. She isn't going to send you a rejection letter. Suppose you owned a business and sent out 1,000 direct mail letters and got a response of ten. This is considered a very good response in the direct mail field. Those ten responses cover your costs and time and then some. Do you lament over the 990 folks who didn't respond? No. Could you see if you demanded to have every one of them write back and tell you they aren't interested? You'd be blue then. Consider all the offers you reject on a daily basis. Ah, but as writers we put ourselves on the line by requesting to be rejected. The publishing industry is so unique in that aspect. We demand that publishers respond to us and let us know what they want to do with our writing. We have to in order to know what to do next with our particular article or book proposal.
The reason rejection is such a part of your life is because it is the nature of this business of writing. You can't expect a publisher to accept everything everyone submits. Even if every submission was spectacular, they still couldn't publish every one.
So you feel stupid when you get rejected. You beat yourself up. There are great ways to overcome this. Keep writing. Keep sending items out. Be very businesslike. Get a rejection letter? Make yourself feel better by sending out the same package that day to another publisher. Handle your submissions in a non-emotional way. While the writing itself can be emotional, the submission process cannot. Accept this and you'll be a lot happier. Try saying this to yourself the next time you get a rejection: "You don't want it? That's okay, I'll try someone else."
Heather L. Koppes is a freelance business writer. She writes company literature including newsletters, brochures, articles, case histories and press releases. You can check out her daily blog at http://heatherlkoppes.blogspot.com
apartment cleaning near Highland Park ..Creative Writing Tips ?Your theme has to be something you... Read More
Weather posting a page to your Website, writing a letter... Read More
Writing engaging articles and energizing ad copy takes... Read More
Beyond three and four act story structure, lies the Hero's... Read More
Hundreds of writing contests tempt screenwriters with the lure of... Read More
You have just completed a draft of an article. It... Read More
As writers, we initially tend to be either more cerebral... Read More
An island in the Mediterranean. A beach in Africa. The... Read More
The biggest mistake authors make when trying to get free... Read More
(This excerpt is taken from my new writing workshop Writing... Read More
When the writing bug hits you, get out your pencil,... Read More
According to one of my previous articles, whenever a Southerner... Read More
When one population in one century survived five wars, two... Read More
Creative Writing Tips ?The writer, who doesn't have the time... Read More
Beyond three and four act story structure, lies the Hero's... Read More
Writer's block! Even columnist Dave Berry has it. He admits... Read More
What a lack of research could do to you.When creating... Read More
Traditionally, business writing uses the "one thing after another" format,... Read More
1. What Is A Premise?A premise is the point you... Read More
Based on the feedback that I have been getting from... Read More
Punctuation, when used creatively, is powerful. Note, however, that when... Read More
The writing community is a strong one, with many new... Read More
There's nothing that kills a scene like hackneyed dialogue. Just... Read More
Mix a martini, don't forget the olives, or pour yourself... Read More
Writing leads to reading. Therefore, it's only fair to supply... Read More
cleaning lady near Arlington Heights ..The Big IdeaOkay. So youve figured out that you would... Read More
In reviewing and browsing web sites over the years, I... Read More
Congratulations on writing your first book. That is quite an... Read More
People want information, they want it quick, frequently in short... Read More
Sit back, and imagine what it feels like to be... Read More
Dave, I just got a contract for a book... Read More
Some writers complain that writing is arduous work requiring long... Read More
I'm a writing fool! 2 book proposals, 1 user's guide,... Read More
There are various forms of structure, including frameworks, work processes... Read More
One of the most common weaknesses I see in day-to-day... Read More
So you want to learn to research well, and not... Read More
The principle for writing good screenplays begins with good idea... Read More
If Ben Franklin were alive today, he would be...uh, very... Read More
So you've decided to crown yourself with a title that... Read More
Have you ever considered writing a book? If so, maybe... Read More
Typically when falling asleep in bed at night great thoughts... Read More
Creative Writing Tips ?Complete a character questionnaire for each of... Read More
According to one of my previous articles, whenever a Southerner... Read More
In large publishing houses, many manuscripts penned by first-time authors,... Read More
When I asked new ezine subscribers, "What is your Number... Read More
BAITED, BATEDBaited usually refers to traps or snares. When the... Read More
The writing community is a strong one, with many new... Read More
The tiniest things can be so useful when you come... Read More
So you're one of 20 million Americans who want to... Read More
1 - Join a reading or writing group. Ask members... Read More
Writing |