So you got rejected. As a writer you should
understand this is all part of the process. It’s not like this is something
new. We have experience rejection since we were old enough to draw on a wall
with a crayon. We saw it as art, but mom saw it as a reason to hide the
crayons. It doesn’t mean it wasn’t art.
We put pen to paper (or actually fingers to
keyboards) with the idea of one day standing beside those literary giants that
inspired us to do more with our thoughts and imaginations than just daydream.
We toil over a keyboard for what seems like an eternity. Editing, then editing
again. Reading, editing, moving this, adding that, until we are certain we hold
within our hands exactly what the world has been waiting for–the novel all
future novels will be compared to.
With the query written, and the first chapter
attached, the email shoots off into hyperspace in search of a worthy agent for
such a masterful work of fiction. You start the next book, certain your offer
of representation is being drafted simultaneously. Maybe just one more cup of
coffee as you await the email alert indicating your invitation to success has
arrived.
Then it happens. You open the email and, with little
more than a polite salutation, your heart is ripped from your breast. It’s a
short paragraph, and the only word that stands out is – ...unfortunately.
No need to read on. That same feeling comes over you.
The painful vision of mom collecting up the crayons and carrying them off to
another room flashes through your mind. You weren’t old enough to understand
then, but you should now. Even though mom took the crayons away, you didn’t
stop finding ways to express yourself or finding an audience for that expression.
You continued on despite the rejections you faced. For those who didn’t give
up, the roots of those scribblings blossomed into true artistic expression.
Remember, as with every artistic expression, it’s not
suited for everybody. Patience and a belief in what you’ve produced should keep
you to task. I read somewhere 90% of writers don’t become published authors
because they quit after the first sense of rejection. If you look at this from
a glass half-empty/half-full perspective, what really happened is 90% of your
competition has been eliminated. You can certainly compete with the other 10%.
With the New Year upon us, it’s time for a new
resolution. You felt strongly enough about putting those fingers to the
keyboard, now keep at it until your query lands in front of the right person at
the right time. Do your research, continue to develop your writing skills, and
get the next idea on paper and out the door. There is an agent out there
waiting for you’re your submission, don’t disappoint them.
A very bright and Happy New Year to all the soon to be authors out there!
