Took my first real HIT today

I BLEW IT. I FAILED. I let a golden opportunity slip by and the hurt is worse than any physical blow I've ever endured.

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Give yourself a break! Forgive yourself - it's a learning experience. Go back and make some changes - re-write the whole thing if you think it needs it.


Everybody gets rejected. Some hurt worse than others, but the good news is that a few don't hurt at all.

Hang in there.

Tomorrow is a new day.

Don't kid yourself - you made this opportunity materialize. You'll make another one materialize too. Keep going.

Sparhawk,

You say you've fought kickboxing throughout your life into your thirties. Did you win every spar? Every encounter? So, why is this any different?

Get up. Brush yourself off. Figure out what you did wrong.

Then get back into the ring.

It's not getting knocked down that makes you a loser, it's not getting back up...

Go get 'em tiger. That's what separates the writers from the wannabees.

You're a writer.

Now go kick some azz...

A rejection with valuable critiquing is a great thing. If you pay attention and put it to use, it'll make your writing better. Rewrite, revise and send it back out.

Torin, still waiting to hear back on a revised version of my novel

Woah! Cabana Boy! Let me just say this...

I went back and reviewed each comment

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That's all I need to see. Each comment. Man, do you realize that you have, in fact, just received a letter basically saying, "You are a promising writer"? That's what a personalized rejection means. If the editor thought your work was lousy, it would have been a form letter. When someone takes the time to do a critique, it's because she was interested enough to keep reading, and wanted to let you know what held her back from buying it. That's a gift you get when you're on the right track.

ONE rejection-- and a helpful one at that-- does NOT mean you blew it! This is part of the necessary cycle before you get to an acceptance. I marketed one of my books for about four years before it was accepted. Can't even count how many rejections I got. And in the end, you know what? It has the exact same fate as the one that got accepted on the first try: It's published.

Keep on, Spar. Don't beat yourself up over this... there are plenty more publishers to approach!

It's great that you can see the flaws in your work now. And that it's not too late to fix them.


When one door closes, another opens. There's some truth in that cliche. Now you know what's wrong with your book, fix it, then go knock on more doors.

If they're taking time to give you a crit, Spar, they obviously think you've got talent. Don't get too down.

Luckily for you there's quite a few more publishers out there.


Lion-O wouldn't give up, and neither should you!

I'm sure this is only the first of many, tell me.. does it get any easier??

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You asked so I'll answer.....a little but they all sting a bit, some worse then others. If you got back a personal rejection with a critique I wouldn't be quite so over wrought and I would definetly save that publishers address for the next book or one that you think he might be interested in. No one is trying to dismiss how you feel but we are trying to let you know that you've had a good sign that you have talent and we rejoice with you at least in that aspect. Here's a virtual hug for this rejection and the many to come......that's just how the game is played kiddo. You can't learn to kickbox without ever getting a hit.

Heh...I've been there on both counts. (Martial Arts instructor and been rejected my fair share of times).
Everyone who's replied here is right on the money. Don't give up, see it as a positive. Hell, if my first rejection had been that positive, I'd have framed it! As it stands, I've got so many rejections that I'm seriously considering wallpapering a room in my house with them all. Now that I'm published, I look back at them and realize what a useful learning tool they were.
So you're in you're in your corner, you're beat to hell, you don't feel like you can lift your arms for another second. But you hear a voice in your ear and it says (in best Burgess Merideth voice) "GET UP you sonnovabitch! Because Micky loves you!"

They only get easier to handle AFTER you've had something accepted somewhere. Yeah, I know, successful writers still get rejected all the time. But they've had some success to fall back on for confidence. You get sixty or seventy of these rejections along, with zero acceptances, every one is like a root canal done with a slightly bigger drill.

bird

Sparhawk,

Basically, rejections suck. But as others have pointed out, you got a PERSONAL rejection! The editor thought enough of your writing to give you tips on how to improve. That means you've really got something! Take the suggestions you agree with, ignore the ones you don't, and try again. Your book will find a home! Good luck!

blacbird said:

You get sixty or seventy of these rejections along, with zero acceptances, every one is like a root canal done with a slightly bigger drill.

bird

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Blacbird speaks the truth.

blacbird said:

They only get easier to handle AFTER you've had something accepted somewhere. Yeah, I know, successful writers still get rejected all the time. But they've had some success to fall back on for confidence. You get sixty or seventy of these rejections along, with zero acceptances, every one is like a root canal done with a slightly bigger drill.

bird

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I'm going to make an assumption here; always a risk, I know. But if I'm wrong, it'll be the first time and I'm due.



I'm guessing that blacbird and arkady (who agreed) have only been submitting Big Works - likely novels. I've used this analogy before but it works: It's like a baseball player who thinks that every at bat has to result in a home run or s/he's a failure. I wish more writers would consider trying to hit some singles, bunt, or even take a walk to get on base. In other words - submit a poem to a small magazine - send an op-ed piece to your local newspaper - write an article on a favourite hobby or some aspect of your work and sub it to a regional mag.

Chances are you'll still collect your fair share of rejections, especially if you don't do your homework first, but the odds are that sooner or later you'll see your name as a byline. If you need validation as a writer to help withstand the sting of Big Work rejection this is one way to accomplish it.

We all crawl before we walk and walk before we run. It may not be everyone's cuppa. I can hear some folks (who sound an awful lot like DeForest Kelley) saying, "Dammit eraser! I'm a novelist not a article writer!"

Well then, keep plugging away. Try to learn from the rejections and write a better, more salable novel. But I hope some of you will consider doing something that gets you on base and in the game instead of just trying to smack a home run.

aka eraser said:

I'm going to make an assumption here; always a risk, I know. But if I'm wrong, it'll be the first time and I'm due.

I'm guessing that blacbird and arkady (who agreed) have only been submitting Big Works - likely novels.

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Wrong.

bird

Bird, what do you write? Do you have a writing buddy you can swap things with? If not, have you considered posting something in the Share Your Work forum for some feedback?

aka eraser said:

I wish more writers would consider trying to hit some singles, bunt, or even take a walk to get on base. In other words - submit a poem to a small magazine - send an op-ed piece to your local newspaper - write an article on a favourite hobby or some aspect of your work and sub it to a regional mag.

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I think people need to write what they're interested in writing. I write novels. I have zero interest in writing articles or poems for magazines. I also have limited time to write, so if I'm going to write, I write what I'm motivated to write. Trying to write something I'm not suited to write wouldn't be a good use of my time, IMO.

brinkett said:

I think people need to write what they're interested in writing. I write novels. I have zero interest in writing articles or poems for magazines. I also have limited time to write, so if I'm going to write, I write what I'm motivated to write. Trying to write something I'm not suited to write wouldn't be a good use of my time, IMO.

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I agree with Brinkett on this one. I'm simply not interested in doing short stories anymore. No slight on those that do write them, but I just feel like my abilities lie elsewhere. Even when I do start a short story, it always winds up around novella length.

I think people may be missing Frank's point. If the rejection from the slower-paced world of novel writing is getting you down, pen something shorter and submit it somewhere you are likely to get accepted. The writing of short stuff does not have to be the main committment, especially if your writing time is limited, but seeing your byline hopefully will be enough to carry you through the next wave of rejections or until you get an acceptance. It's a validation to not stay depressed because your work really does have merit.

We are writers. Remember that.