In an earlier post, I talked about the trouble I had declaring myself a writer. I actually got very interesting feedback on the topic, and I appreciate everyone’s comments. Today, however, I believe I may have finally crossed the threshold to counting myself among the masses (and masses) who call themselves “writers” – I’ve been rejected.
I’m not sulking about it or pouting (although I do make a mean duck face), but I am disappointed. I’m not totally naive; I’ve read enough about writing and writers to know how many famous authors and classic books were rejected (in some cases many, many times) before finding success. Still, there was a tiny voice in my head that would whisper to me…Your novella is that good. It’s going to be accepted by the very first publisher you submit it to.
Alas, it wasn’t. I know it’s just one publisher, but I can’t completely block out the much louder voice in my head, the voice of self doubt :
Was the title catchy enough?
Did they even read the whole thing?
Maybe my first sentence/paragraph/chapter/quarter/third/half wasn’t catchy enough.
Maybe they didn’t like the ending.
Maybe they didn’t like the short synopsis I submitted.
Maybe they didn’t like my blog.
I don’t know; can’t know. All I can do is what all writers do – just keep writing. I have a second novella that’s is nearing the end of the never ending hell that is the revision process, and I’m 33k words into my work in progress. The world keeps turning, life goes on. Back to work.
BooksofJobe.com 
You’ve also gotta keep in mind many writers average about 100 rejections before finding that acceptance. It may seem a little discouraging but the market is flooded these days.
1 down, 99 to go! Seriously though, thanks for the support and thanks for following!
Your welcome! ^_^ And you could get it earlier than 100!
I quite literally do not handle rejection well in any area of life, which is why I gave up on the idea of being a professional writer. This doesn’t mean you should give up, though.
I’m sure there are many more rejections to follow, so I’m just trying to swallow my pride and move on.
Few writers reach a level at which they are NOT rejected. I’ve had stories place on the first try, and one story that took over FORTY submissions and 2-3 YEARS to find a home. Assuming you have not already done so, I would keep it out there, keep subbing it. After 5,6,7 or 8 rejections, I’d read it over with a fresh eye. Of course, choosing the right market is a must. It saves a lot of time. Read your target market. You’ll get a feel for what they publish. I’ve submitted stories ‘blind’ to magazines/publishers, only to discover that what I was sending them was quite different from the stuff they publish. You seem to have the right attitude though – move on, keep sending it out, and continue writing. Good luck!
Thanks for the advice and support. Finding the right publishers is going to be a challenge. I chose the one I did because “dark” material was their specialty, now I have some research to do. And thanks for the add on Facebook!
Jobe, Keep going.
My first rejection really hurt. Second less. Third even less. I’m on about my 9th rejection now and it was like a mosquito bite.
Keep going…
I appreciate that. Until now, I was in a little romantic honeymoon phase where I thought everything I submitted would be accepted. The honeymoon’s over, but that’s ok. Thanks for the comment.
Good luck! Some day all of us are going to be able to say we knew you when 🙂
Ha Ha…yeah, when I only had one rejection! 🙂
This was great tto read