Rejection is something with which all writers are familiar. Writers can be rejected for many reasons from weak grammar to an illogical storyline. There are many causes of rejection, but what are some of the effects of rejection on the writer?
The some of the effects include the following –
Throwing the piece out and beginning afresh. This is a drastic response to rejection and is likely to be a result of hurt feelings and devastation. I don’t recommend this action, but if you’re completely tired of working and reworking a story or article, starting from scratch might be the way to go.
Getting advice from an editor or a reader and proceeding to rewrite from there. I do recommend this action. Sometimes a second set of eyes will move the story or article along and will take it to completion. My editor has saved me from looking like a fool many times, as well as spotting typos and misspellings.
Stopping writing entirely. NOT RECOMMENDED. Chalk the rejection up to an editor having a bad day.
Working harder on your own and perfecting the manuscript. Nuff said.
Shopping the piece (as is) around. This method stems from the idea that your piece will gain acceptance if it finds just the right editor. I recommend this action if you know that the manuscript is clean and interesting.
Putting the piece aside (in a drawer) and sleeping on it for a while. It’s amazing what time will do for one’s editing capabilities. You’ll be able to grasp the totality of the piece – the meaning, the syntax…everything about the story.
Of course, all these reactions have their pros and cons. What’s important is to keep at your art and to not give up. Rejection is part of the writing process, and writers should get used to being rejected. If writers can get over and learn from rejection, they can sell more of their work, which is an object of the business.
Back when writers sent their work out in paper form and received paper rejections, it was a fad to paper a wall of one’s home with rejection slips. Since most everything is electronic these days, this doesn’t occur, but, oh, those were the days! A wall papered with rejections was, in a way, a status symbol. It showed years (perhaps) of hard work and perseverance.
The most important thing to remember is to trust your instincts in your writing. This is easy to say and hard to do.
You will be rejected, and what I haven’t said is that maybe you should be rejected at that point in time. Maybe an editor is doing you a favor.
This brings me to a final point. Whether you sell a story or get rejected, don’t forget to thank the editor for her readership. This polite action will take you far.
They say that writing is rewriting. This is true. What’s also true is that writing for publication is rejection. That’s it in a nutshell.
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