Received another rejection

CalRazor · Aug 30, 2017

This time from Amazon Studios. Since I didn't consider myself much of a script writer, I figured I would submit a children's series idea because that only requires a mini-bible/character profiles (no natural-sounding, professionally crafted dialogue in sight!). Anyway, I submitted it on the 26th, and it was rejected today. I'm a little crushed, I'll admit. I've always tried to walk that fine line between optimism and pessimism, but always end up splashing in the deep end of megalomania.

Anyway, just needed to vent a little bit. Thanks for reading.

mccardey · Aug 30, 2017

CalRazor said:
Since I didn't consider myself much of a script writer, I figured I would submit a children's series idea because that only requires a mini-bible/character profiles (no natural-sounding, professionally crafted dialogue in sight!).

That might have been the problem. Childrens is just as difficult as anything else - only different.

Here, have a chocolate, and chin up and just remember It's Not You, It's Them (or whatever mantra works for you.)

You do have a mantra, right? Also, chocolate? :Hug2:

CalRazor · Aug 30, 2017

mccardey said:
That might have been the problem. Childrens is just as difficult as anything else - only different.

Here, have a chocolate, and chin up and just remember It's Not You, It's Them (or whatever mantra works for you.)

You do have a mantra, right? Also, chocolate?

Yeah, I think you're right there. Except I thought I was, if nothing else, a good "idea" person, and that maybe those ideas would pave the way to success. I've watched kid shows all my life, so I thought I would have at least a decent sense of what they're looking for. Anyway, despite those delusions, I found out it wasn't that easy.

Thanks for the chocolate! I'll need it...

Mantras?! Usually I just say "We're not alone...." over and over again. If you can't beat 'em, freak 'em out, I say.

abrowne · Sep 6, 2017

Owch. Yeah, writing for kids takes a lot of practice and beating your head against the wall like anything else... but that doesn't mean it doesn't sting. Sorry.

Also, "If you can't beat 'em, freak 'em out" is now MY new mantra. From now on, all rejections will be met by a haunted stare and the words "...they're coming"

(seriously though: lick your wounds, feel appropriately sorry for yourself, ingest some chocolate, and then write something new. Just keep swimming.)

Felix · Sep 6, 2017

Every rejection gets one more "no" out of the way and gets you one step closer to the "yes" that's out there waiting.

EMaree · Sep 6, 2017

I'm proud of you for putting yourself out there, getting outside of your comfort zone, and subbing! You're doing great, keep moving forward.

Undercover · Sep 7, 2017

EMaree said:
I'm proud of you for putting yourself out there, getting outside of your comfort zone, and subbing! You're doing great, keep moving forward.

I second this! It takes a lot of guts to do what you did. And you did it! So good for you on that note!!! Keep writing. Keep submitting. Things will in fact get better.

CameronJohnston · Sep 8, 2017

EMaree said:
I'm proud of you for putting yourself out there, getting outside of your comfort zone, and subbing! You're doing great, keep moving forward.

Thirded! You do not get if you do not try. The thing in common with a lot of published writers is they they didn't give up after getting rejections, and often it's many, many rejections. And not all rejections are based on quality either - they may have really liked yours but already had something similar in the works.

CalRazor · Sep 9, 2017

abrowne said:
Owch. Yeah, writing for kids takes a lot of practice and beating your head against the wall like anything else... but that doesn't mean it doesn't sting. Sorry.

Also, "If you can't beat 'em, freak 'em out" is now MY new mantra. From now on, all rejections will be met by a haunted stare and the words "...they're coming"

(seriously though: lick your wounds, feel appropriately sorry for yourself, ingest some chocolate, and then write something new. Just keep swimming.)

Yeah, I probably should have an emergency supply of milk chocolate...just in case.

Felix said:
Every rejection gets one more "no" out of the way and gets you one step closer to the "yes" that's out there waiting.

Heh. I hope so. Had some poetry published in thedrabble recently, so that helps take the edge off. My ultimate goal, though, is to get fiction published.

EMaree said:
I'm proud of you for putting yourself out there, getting outside of your comfort zone, and subbing! You're doing great, keep moving forward.

Thanks. Yep, the only semi-sane choice is to move forward.

CameronJohnston said:
Thirded! You do not get if you do not try. The thing in common with a lot of published writers is they they didn't give up after getting rejections, and often it's many, many rejections. And not all rejections are based on quality either - they may have really liked yours but already had something similar in the works.

Guess that's the thing that bothers me. Aside from the economic concerns of "I'd like to eventually make a living at this at some point," there's also the widespread belief that rejection means that the piece rejected lacks quality. That could very well be. I really didn't start writing fiction up until a couple of years ago, so maybe my efforts are amateurish. I'm also not sure if I'm submitting to the right journals. Why I think it's partially the latter is that one editor who rejected my work and gave feedback, upon request, said my short story was "too weird." Of course, that could end up being the consensus...

Harris From Far Away · Sep 10, 2017

Hey, just remember, it's usually not about the quality, even though quality is important, rejections are usually because of many other things, such as not the right time, not quite right for that studio, it can even depend on their finances at the moment, etc. etc. I dozen of reasons. You have to send your idea to a bunch of studios that used to accept work similar to yours, in their past.

Just remember, the more you submit, the more chances you have to get a positive answer. When you finally get one, all those rejections will fade away, like they never even happened.

Keep up the work and get yourself out there.

Cheers

Bongo · Sep 10, 2017

Felix said:
Every rejection gets one more "no" out of the way and gets you one step closer to the "yes" that's out there waiting.

This is what I was going to say, only with different words.

I took some college courses in play writing and had a professor that wanted us to start collecting rejection letters. He told us to send out as much work as we possibly could, to anything and everything, and then tape the rejections we got to the side of our refrigerators (this was in snail mail days). He told us to think of each rejection as bringing us a little bit closer to success. When the side of the refrigerator was full, that's when we'd most likely get a "yes". We have to keep working while doing that though.... fixing if we feel fixing needs to be done, and/or putting out new material.

What I found (and still happens with me today) is that what that professor said was true, though not always in the exact way I picture it. While taking that class I also took that suggestion. A few months of rejections in I was talking with someone who offered to produce one of my one act plays - at the college. I hadn't even submitted anything for that

. And a short while after I got offered a spot for a full length production. Point being - I believe if we put the energy out there, keep our heads held high, keep working and keep believing - that energy we put out comes back to us in one way or another. At least that's been my experience.

Now I'm going to go complain about my first bad review, in another thread

.

Received another rejection

CalRazor

mccardey

CalRazor

abrowne

Always Be Writing

Felix

EMaree

a demon for tea

Undercover

I got it covered

CameronJohnston

Great Old One

CalRazor

Harris From Far Away

Bongo