What in the world am I doing writing about rejection right before Christmas?
What a downer! But hear me out because not a day goes by where a new writer or a veteran trying something new isn't dealing with or worried about having something they've written get rejected by a publishing house, newspaper, magazine, online site, etc.
Writers get told "no" a lot, which can be especially hard during the holidays.
I wrote a few quick words on rejection in my new book, Write Like You Mean It: Mastering Your Passion For The Written Word, and the first thing I wanted to impress upon my readers was that rejection is part of the process.
Just like strikeouts happen in baseball – even to the greatest hitters of all time.
Just like lawyers occasionally lose a court case.
When you're a writer, rejection simply comes with the territory. It doesn't matter who you are or what you've written. And if you think you're alone, you're wrong.
Some of the biggest names in writing have faced rejection, including:
Stephen King
George Orwell
J. K. Rowling
Mary Shelley
I get it. No writer wants to face rejection. This is our passion. We pour our heart and soul into every character we type, and our stuff deserves to see the light of day. But as I said in my book, countless factors go into why writing is rejected.
Sometimes it is legitimately horrible or has too many grammar and spelling errors, but many times, it's not that at all. The publisher could have way too many submissions to sift through at the moment. Perhaps they aren't accepting submissions in the genre you've written in or the topic you've written about at all right now. Maybe you just didn't follow the submission directions, or your writing doesn't feel timely to the publication. Sometimes, rejection isn't about you at all – some publications only want to work with certain writers. And sometimes, your writing isn't bad, but it's just not quite good enough either. If a publisher has told you no, the best thing that can happen is that you get a very specific rejection letter with the reasons why. While it may feel like a dagger to the heart if it has to do with your writing, this is the publisher's way of telling you to keep improving your work and not stop trying to get published.
The point is never to stop writing and never second-guess your ability to be an accomplished writer. Sooner or later, you will get published. I promise.
Want to Get Your Hands on Write Like You Mean It?
This book is for writers of all experience levels, genres, and professional pursuits. Whether you’re a journalist, college writer, aspiring freelancer, or future novelist, this book is for you, so you too can Write Like You Mean It!
Get your copy:
Thank you for reading!
*STEVE GAMEL is the President & Owner of Edit This, a writing and editing services company located in Denton, TX, and the author of Write Like You Mean It: Mastering Your Passion For The Written Word. Steve handles anything involving the written word. Give him a call today to help give your business a clear voice.