I entered into a contest, and tomorrow the finalists are going to be announced. I’m trying to prepare myself mentally for rejection. I’ve been reading through this forum as a way to get prepared. Found some good words of encouragement. Another good place was this blog: http://www.ellenjackson.net/dealing_with_rejection_61476.htm
Ellen Jackson talks about ways to cope with rejection.
Another thing she talked about was what to do before you get rejected, i.e. have a plan in place. So I’ve planned out what to do both today and tomorrow.
So here are my vows, that I’m placing out here for all the world* to see:
Posting these vows publicly is one way that I will ensure that I actually Do These Things. I am using you all, shamelessly, as a way to hold me accountable.
So I figure that I am now prepared, hopefully, for rejection.
(I am thinking that if I become a finalist, I won’t need to prepare myself for that news. I think I could cope with success. Kind of like Dorothy Parker’s saying about wealth: “I’ve never been a millionaire, but I know I’d be just darling at it.”)
*All the world that accesses this site, which is to say a lot of people who either have been or will be in the same boat.
Ellen Jackson talks about ways to cope with rejection.
Success as a writer depends more on intelligent persistence than on raw talent. By "intelligent persistence" I mean the ability to learn from mistakes, to figure out what you’re doing wrong, and then to change it.
Another thing she talked about was what to do before you get rejected, i.e. have a plan in place. So I’ve planned out what to do both today and tomorrow.
So here are my vows, that I’m placing out here for all the world* to see:
- I am going to finish that one dratted scene that I’ve been wrestling with all week. I am going to do that now. Right now. I will not check email or take my turn on Words With Friends or even start the laundry. Me and my imagination vs. that scene, one round.
I want to get that writing done today, before I might have to wrestle with the demons of self-doubt. They love to sneer at me for thinking I have delusions of adequacy, and a rejection strengthens them tenfold.
- Tomorrow, good news or ill, I am going to plan out my schedule so that I will have time to exercise. Whatever else I do tomorrow, I am going to take the time to work out. Nothing helps me cope with stress like vigorous exercise.
Posting these vows publicly is one way that I will ensure that I actually Do These Things. I am using you all, shamelessly, as a way to hold me accountable.
So I figure that I am now prepared, hopefully, for rejection.
(I am thinking that if I become a finalist, I won’t need to prepare myself for that news. I think I could cope with success. Kind of like Dorothy Parker’s saying about wealth: “I’ve never been a millionaire, but I know I’d be just darling at it.”)
*All the world that accesses this site, which is to say a lot of people who either have been or will be in the same boat.
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