I have been on AW for nearly a year, but I've spent no time in the Break Room. On Thursday I saw that I did not make the short list for a small publishing house's novella contest. For the past 18 months I have been actively querying my novel, Son of Jack Nasty. I just received a rejection letter to that in the summer, although the editor took the time to write a personal email that, though it was a rejection, gave me some hope. In the time since I finished Son of Jack Nasty, I wrote a novella, Fair. Over the winter I learned of the contest, so worked with a freelance editor to really give the contest a good shot. I met someone who, last year, while they didn't win in this contest were short listed and offered a publishing contract for their novella (it will come out next month). I guess I worked myself into a place where I was very confident something similar would happen to me.
I've spent the last couple of days licking my wounds. And surfing through various places in AW (usually I just hang out in SYW and crit or post). Reading posts from new members to AW; reading rants about lack of support from friends from a fellow Canuck in another forum in Break Room; and, generally, I suppose, just reminding myself that rejection is at the core of this business so just get on with it.
Anyway, I just needed a place to say all of that, to move past the rejection and continue with the strategy: continue to query for Son of Jack Nasty; continue to query to lit magazines with short stories I've written in the past several months; now begin to query Fair, given the contest didn't work out; and begin the next novel that I've been sketching in my notebook.
Thanks for listening: I hate whining (I f---ing hate whining), but I needed to just get it all off my (hairy) chest and move on. So there, that is that.
And if anyone wants to read any of my short stories, you can find "Red and White"; "It's about you"; and "As the fog burns away" in the Literary SYW.
Thanks again for listening fellow dejectors (dejectees?).
I've spent the last couple of days licking my wounds. And surfing through various places in AW (usually I just hang out in SYW and crit or post). Reading posts from new members to AW; reading rants about lack of support from friends from a fellow Canuck in another forum in Break Room; and, generally, I suppose, just reminding myself that rejection is at the core of this business so just get on with it.
Anyway, I just needed a place to say all of that, to move past the rejection and continue with the strategy: continue to query for Son of Jack Nasty; continue to query to lit magazines with short stories I've written in the past several months; now begin to query Fair, given the contest didn't work out; and begin the next novel that I've been sketching in my notebook.
Thanks for listening: I hate whining (I f---ing hate whining), but I needed to just get it all off my (hairy) chest and move on. So there, that is that.
And if anyone wants to read any of my short stories, you can find "Red and White"; "It's about you"; and "As the fog burns away" in the Literary SYW.
Thanks again for listening fellow dejectors (dejectees?).
