Facing Rejections – Every Writers Nightmare
May 16, 2007
How easy is it to face rejection? The anguish that you are not wanted or are not good enough or worse that you are not worthy enough to live up to a person’s expectations makes the heart wrench with emotions. Some of us are not welcomed in a circle of friends because we maybe different or just not cool enough as they put it. It could be a relationship where the person you love and care for suddenly jumps ship and leaves you in the lurch. Explanations and kind words work like band-aids in such situations. They may cover the injury but the wound takes its own time to heal.
These feelings are also felt by a writer when their articles are rejected by various editors and publishing houses. It fuels their insecurities and the thoughts of self-worth are put to test. Sometimes the piles of rejection letters are so high that it is so easy to hide under them for days.
So what is the solution?
The answer: Keep trying….I know this is not a reasonable consolation. But it will get you through the day and push you to try harder. You may stop writing for a day, week or even a month but eventually you will get over it. If you don’t, then remember that the editor has nothing against you. Your writing style may not have been ideal for the magazine, or maybe there are some grammatical errors that can be looked into, or certain paragraphs which need tightening up. The genre of your story may not have been ideally suited with the magazine’s guidelines.Reasons could be innumerable but do the emotions have to get involved?
Of course the emotions will run high. You have spent a month writing a 5,000 words length fiction. A plot is developed with intriguing characters that create action, thrilling the readers’ imagination and a happy ending. And still your masterpiece is rejected? How is one supposed to cope with this? Do remember that there is competition in every field. It is said that a writer is born every minute globally and each one is trying to get to the top.
Your turn will come too…just that the time isn’t right yet. So chin up and remember- “Rejections are tests, making you a better writer.”
©Nayna Chakrabarty, 2007. All Rights Reserved.
Similar Posts
Comments
Got something to say?
