The Daily Rejection (A Writer's Woe)
A guide to finding your creative inspiration in the face of rejection
Hi Gang!
For this Focus Friday, I’d like to talk about something appropriate: writer’s block. More importantly, tips that I’ve discovered to help overcome the blasted thing. I have dubbed them REGAL.
R E A D
E N V Y
G O F O R I T
A C C O U N T A B I L I T Y
L O V E Y O U R T A L E N T
I tried a cleanse.
It was awful.
Living in the 21st century, I’m sure you know what a cleanse is. But in case you don’t, I’ll explain.
I’m posting something rather personal for my inaugural Inspiration Monday. The goal of the day is to post about something that inspires you. Whether it’s inspiration to live differently, to create, to write, to be a better person… or maybe to be a better person and a better writer both.
But first, let me tell you a little bit about myself.
For a writer, I am rarely alone. That may make me a bit of an anomaly in the author world, but I am definitely an extrovert. I consider my greatest skill in life to be my ability to make friends. The good kind.
“You can, you should, and if you’re brave enough to start, you will.”
That is one of my favorite quotes from a very quotable man, and an excellent writer: the one and only Mr. Stephen King.
The excerpt is from his book, On Writing, and if you’re a novelist, whether aspiring or on your 20th story, then this book should become something of a bible to you. It’s paragraph after paragraph of inspirational quotes, practical advice, humorous anecdotes, and just about everything you need to inspire you to hone your craft and never give up. A surprisingly motivational read from the King of the Macabre, and yet it shouldn’t be so surprising. Because like every novelist before and since, Stephen King had to deal with rejection and feeling as though his writing was sub-par to his published peers. He too had to climb a figurative mountain to get to where he is.
Remember, a “No” will never kill you, but a single “Yes” could be the one that changes your life.
For my first Rejection Wednesday, I’d like to share my latest rejection letter, and tell a tale about my toughest rejection to date. (Identifying names of the agents/agency have been omitted, for privacy’s sake).
This lovely was waiting for me in my inbox a few days ago, a response that came roughly four months after the query was sent.
“Thanks so much for your query and interest in our representation. I was very glad to have a chance to take a look. Regrettably, I don’t feel sufficiently excited about the material to take it on, but please remember that reactions to fiction are entirely subjective, so I do recommend that you try some other agents. Best of luck to you in finding a home for your work, and thank you for thinking of me.”
Because that’s what life is, folks. A series of pages, inside a series of chapters, inside a book that could be a dry read or a page-turner, depending on how we choose to live it.
Last night, I went on a boat tour of the chain of lakes in Winter Park, Florida.
Nothing earth-shattering about a boat, true. I’ve been on plenty of boats. In fact, I love being on the water.
But I’d never been on a boat on these particular lakes, and with these particular women.
I only really knew two of them, and only one well, who happened to invite me on a whim. Some I recognized. Some I didn’t. I was tired and almost backed out of going. I didn’t feel like forcing myself to socialize with people I wasn’t comfortable with after already being drained from a long day of work. Small talk can be exhausting. But, I sucked it up and went.
Boy am I glad I did.
Hey folks, welcome to my brand new blog, The Daily Rejection.
You might ask yourself why I’d want to name my blog after something negative, but the answer is simple: rejection is something every single one of us has experienced. It’s a universal truth for just about every living being on this planet. Chances are good that at some point in your life, you’ve been rejected for a job. Maybe Joe Perfect had a better resume than you. Maybe Cindy Sunshine had a more bubbly personality during her interview. But the outcome was the same – someone was chosen over you.
It’s a fact of life, and it happens to the best of us. In jobs, in relationships, in our ideas, for our artistic creations. If you haven’t been rejected, you’ve likely spent the vast majority of your life living inside a literal cave, neanderthal style, with no contact to the outside world. Yet even in a cave the bats might avoid you – rejected by a tiny flying mammal.
But of all those who experience the woe of rejection, it seems writers top the list of recipients more than most.
The Daily Rejection (A Writer's Woe) 