Dealing with Rejection

Rejection hurts. That’s the simple truth. But if a writer garners contracts, s/he has to put up with rejections. I was asked to blog about ways to deal with rejection by several people, so here’s what I do. 

I moan to my critique partner, who understands completely because she, too, is a writer. (Hugs to you, Sandi.) Understanding that I’m not alone in the volume of rejected queries allows me to have more perspective. All writers receive rejections. 

Sometimes I mumble and gripe to my literary muses (two miniature schnauzers) that the editor didn’t “get” the story (but of course she “got” enough of it to understand it wasn’t right for the publisher). My reasoning can be a little warped when the rejections pour in, but the mental warp makes me feel better.  

I don’t fret beyond the day I receive the rejection. I move on with another project or send the rejected manuscript out to another editor. Remember, it only takes one editor to love the work and deem it contract worthy. Different editors have hugely different opinions about what is a great story. 

If a story is rejected several times, I store it away, temporarily. After a few months (sometimes, years) I reexamine the manuscript with fresh eyes. If my story seem to have merit, I rewrite and resubmit. (That’s what I’ve been doing the last few months and snatched a few contracts.) Sometimes the rewrite bears little resemblance to the original story. AMAZING GRACE began as a picture book (rejected). I rewrote it as a chapter book (rejected). After I rewrote it as a middle grade novel, it found a home with a publisher. 

Next week, I’ll look at other ways I deal with rejection. 

Call for submissions for Young and Adult Writers:

Submissions for Wee Tales and Refractions must be age appropriate for the journal (7 to 12 for Wee Tales, 13 and up for Refractions). If you have something more geared toward an adult market please still submit it for our next possible run of Deep Waters. General and Refractions short submissions should be between 1000 and 5000 words, Wee Tales submissions should be between 600 and 2000 words. Adult and teen writers are invited to submit. 

Submission guidelines at https://goldenfleecepress.com/refractions/

The Writing Journey

“I don't teach writing. I teach patience.”—Richard Bausch

In a recent writing workshop, a woman asked me what was the key to my twenty-seven-year writing career and having 50 books published. My answer is patience. A writing career is a journey. It’s not about the fastest sprinter; it’s about finishing the journey (Think Tortoise and Hare). Getting a book published in the shortest amount of time possible sounds enticing, promising, and fun (the sprint). Books that are written hurriedly seldom lead to long careers or win contracts.

In this modern age, we are inundated with instant gratification. A microwave cooks my eggs in a flash. Text messages ping in a second. Facebook and Twitter allow us to communicate quickly, easily, and effectively. So the sprint nature of our lives makes waiting frustrating. I totally understand this since I’m not shielded from wanting immediate feedback on a submission, either.

On the opposite end of the spectrum is publishing. Nothing moves quickly in publishing. Picture books average about two years to be born. (Daniel Boone Trailblazer’s birthing was a bit longer: four years.) Chapter books and middle grade novels usually require less time because illustrations are not a major part of the incubation.

Publishers receive thousands of submissions annually so many no longer respond unless the editor is interested in offering a contract. Even those positive responses can take up to a year or longer to contact the writer. An editor’s response or lack thereof, is merely one step of the literary journey.

How to develop patience? Keep writing. After you polish one manuscript and submit it, begin another. Keep focused on writing, not publishing. Your writing will improve and somewhere along the journey, a contract will be offered.

Next week, I address ways that keep me in a positive frame of mind, literarily.

Call for submissions for Adult Writers

On the Premises Short Story Contest. "For this contest, write a creative, compelling, well-crafted story between 1,000 and 5,000 words long in which the concept of “darkness” plays an important role. You may interpret “darkness” any way you want–literally, metaphorically, or any other way. Darkness doesn’t have to have a value judgment attached to it, and it doesn’t have to be symbolic in any way, although it can." Prize: Winners receive between US$60 and US$220, and publication. 

Deadline: September 2, 2016.

Submission guidelines at http://onthepremises.com/current-contest/