Rejection is never easy to swallow. Or, should I say a rejection. I received my second rejection on August 23rd and it hurt. I made all the classic newbie writer mistakes; not enough conflict to carry the story, story founded on misunderstandings easily solved by conversation, etc..
But something good came out of the rejection too. Intriguing premise and characters. Since it was only three chapters I'm assuming they pulled all of that from my synopsis. I felt the same way about my characters when I wrote it.
So do I scrap all my hard work, blood, sweat and tears, and start another story? One CP suggested stepping away from it for a while, and another says I should start on a new manuscript. Almost the same thing. These are two published authors who have felt the sting of rejection. But, they are now published. They didn't give up, they felt they had a good story to tell, they persevered.
Who am I to jump ship? I want to be published. Almost every author's dream. Some just write to write. To feel the flow of words seep from their brain onto the paper or screen. I kept a journal for a few years after my divorce, mostly lamenting the single life. Of course, I embraced it after a year or so right up to twelve years when I met my now significant other. But, I digress.
The thing I want to say is that I'm not giving up. I'm persevering. I will step away from my manuscript for a while and do other things related to the craft. Studying, taking classes, keeping in touch with other writers. I'm co-chairing the first writer's group at our local library this week. I'd been wanting to start one for a while. I kept bugging the library so they put me in touch with a branch department head and away we went. She was so excited to have someone interested in such a group. I'll let you know how it went in my next post.
To all of you writers out there...rejection is a part of writing...I reject words every day I write...but that's me and that's the craft. You'll get there. I'll get there. Persevere.
Hope you get to write today,
M. Lee
