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- Aug 13, 2018
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Since several writers have mentioned changing their approaches to writing after agent or editor rejections, I wanted to ask about the ways that responses have changed your perspective or expectations as a writer. The topic is designed to be slightly vague because certain writers might be reconsidering their genre choices, others might be reconsidering traditional publishing, others might be wrestling with their identities as a writer, others might be confronting the reality that their work is not the next bestseller etc. Feel free to post multiple times or update in the future.
For example,
I am in the process of rethinking my image, which sounds extremely pretentious, but I cannot find better words. Essentially, I dedicated ages to writing a dark fantasy with social commentary and controversial political metaphors. I imagined the influence that novel would have on the way that others looked at me. As writers, our first impressions to the world are our books. While that novel is being rejected, I'm writing a YA contemporary, which I am hoping will make readers feel warm and happy inside. The tone is different. The writing style is different. The impression on others would be entirely different. Of course, I've never intended to be defined by a single narrative, but the difference between those impressions on readers and reception of my work should either become mainstream would be drastic. I suppose that switching genres is the closest thing that writers have to rebranding themselves, so it is fascinating to think about.
In other words, what changed after confronting rejection? Minor changes? Major changes? Mindset changes?
For example,
I am in the process of rethinking my image, which sounds extremely pretentious, but I cannot find better words. Essentially, I dedicated ages to writing a dark fantasy with social commentary and controversial political metaphors. I imagined the influence that novel would have on the way that others looked at me. As writers, our first impressions to the world are our books. While that novel is being rejected, I'm writing a YA contemporary, which I am hoping will make readers feel warm and happy inside. The tone is different. The writing style is different. The impression on others would be entirely different. Of course, I've never intended to be defined by a single narrative, but the difference between those impressions on readers and reception of my work should either become mainstream would be drastic. I suppose that switching genres is the closest thing that writers have to rebranding themselves, so it is fascinating to think about.
In other words, what changed after confronting rejection? Minor changes? Major changes? Mindset changes?