Gotta Love Rejection
Cuz if I let it get to me, I'd be a basketcase. As of today, three short stories rejected out of the four I've sent out. I know three is nowhere near the number of rejection slips some famous writers received before finally getting that one break, so I'm just going to buck up and keep on trying. I've been saying for a long time now that writing is what I really want to do, and I know the chances of making it are extremely slim, but writing truly is all I've ever dreamed about. It's way past time to take it from dreamland into reality land.
When I was in college and grad school, I wrote some stories that my profs loved. They all encouraged me to continue honing my craft, saying I have a gift. I sort of just waved their kind words off, thinking they said that to all the students who came through their classes. But then I submitted a story to a writers conference, and the guest writer chose my story alone to workshop with everyone attending. I felt so honored. He, too, told me I need to keep writing, that what I write is what every editor wants to see. Well, I'm really starting to wonder about that one since I now have three editors saying thanks but no thanks.
I know the writing world is fickle, that editors have their preferences and choose depending upon their own tastes. I also know I'm old school, going for the literary short story rather than the mainstream or commercial. I can't stand so much of the works out there right now. So much drivel. So much that really doesn't even make sense. I mean come on, how many vampire stories, prostitute stories, druggie stories, and my dad raped me stories does the world need? That said, I pretty sure I'm in for a long and terribly rough ride on my way to publication.
But I'm not going to give up. Sooner or later the letter will come that says yes, we'd love to publish your story. Until then, I'm just going to continue printing out the rejections and compiling them into a scrapbook. Will be good reading one day when I'm holding my first novel in my hands.
When I was in college and grad school, I wrote some stories that my profs loved. They all encouraged me to continue honing my craft, saying I have a gift. I sort of just waved their kind words off, thinking they said that to all the students who came through their classes. But then I submitted a story to a writers conference, and the guest writer chose my story alone to workshop with everyone attending. I felt so honored. He, too, told me I need to keep writing, that what I write is what every editor wants to see. Well, I'm really starting to wonder about that one since I now have three editors saying thanks but no thanks.
I know the writing world is fickle, that editors have their preferences and choose depending upon their own tastes. I also know I'm old school, going for the literary short story rather than the mainstream or commercial. I can't stand so much of the works out there right now. So much drivel. So much that really doesn't even make sense. I mean come on, how many vampire stories, prostitute stories, druggie stories, and my dad raped me stories does the world need? That said, I pretty sure I'm in for a long and terribly rough ride on my way to publication.
But I'm not going to give up. Sooner or later the letter will come that says yes, we'd love to publish your story. Until then, I'm just going to continue printing out the rejections and compiling them into a scrapbook. Will be good reading one day when I'm holding my first novel in my hands.
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