My First Taste of Rejection

Monday night I signed into my email account and low and behold I sat glaring at an email from an agent. I wanted to check it immediately--but I was too scared. I feared it might be a "no". I didn't know what to do so I left it there. I chickened out and left the email unopened in my inbox. I thought it safer to assume it was a "no" rather open it and confirm it. Besides, how many people actually get a yes on their first query letter? Not many I imagined so I thought it a safe assumption that mine was a "no" as well. I checked my Facebook account. I walked away. But a few minutes later, I had to know. So I reopened my email account and clicked the email open before my brain had a chance to register exactly what it was I was doing.

I read "We are sorry...."--rejection letter. Not just any rejection letter. A FORM rejection letter. The rejection stung enough but after sitting and thinking about it for a little bit I realized I have no way of knowing what they didn't like. I just got a standard "we don't want you" which isn't to say I blame the agency. They are busy but it just leaves me to wonder whether it was my query or my idea. With a form rejection letter, I have no clue. It could be that I just didn't sell my book well enough in the query letter or it could be that the book isn't good enough or good right now. I don't know.

So I'll tell you what I'm doing, on the advice of some very good people I follow on Twitter. I am:

-remembering that it only takes one "yes" per @KarenMusings (so I'm resubmitting my query to other agents and giving them the chance to say "yes" :)
-recognizing that it does get easier per @BookEmDonna (I just need to do it more often)
-and carrying on and improving my craft per @LStrongin (I love writing and luckily the only way to get better at writing is to write so I'm focusing on that instead of the rejection).

Not that the first rejection doesn't sting the most but this is all very good advice and I'm choosing to follow it--dealing with the rejection one sting at a time. It's kind of like what they say about beekeepers. Some of them get stung so much they become immune to it. Here's to hoping I get immune to the sting of query rejection letters.

Happy Reading and Writing!

5 Reasons to Write & Actually Finish Your Novel

Writers get a lot of rejection. From rejection letters to writing partner critiques, a writer's life is plagued with it. Understandably, a writer can find themselves believing that their writing is no good, no one will read the novel when it’s done, or a billion other untruths. Those outer, and sometimes inner, thoughts can drive a writer to stop midstream, not complete the book and give up on writing altogether. The writer's life is so plagued with rejection, in fact, that I have decided to counteract some of it. My solution? Five reasons that, despite the hills you may climb or insecurities you may feel, you should write your novel anyway.

1. Your family and friends will love your novel unconditionally. That’s why they get the prestigious title of family and friends.

2. If you love your novel, it can never be a waste of time; even if it never sells. If you love your characters and story it is well worth the journey of writing the book. If you enjoy writing the novel for one, two or three years of your life then the entertainment you provide yourself alone makes the time well spent.

3. It’s more productive than watching television. The average American spends approximately 153 hours watching television a month—writing a novel is a much better use of your time and brain. *winks* I say that as a reality television addict.

4. Twilight. Every time someone criticizes Stephenie Meyer’s writing, an angel gets its wings----and she sells another copy of her trilogy. You don’t have to be Stephenie Meyer but her story goes to show that if it seems like someone isn’t getting your story then maybe 10 million other people will. Above all, don't quit writing or believe that you can't write.

5. You are entitled to a shitty first draft. So write it already. Good, bad or ugly.

As a writer, it can seem like the competition is too stiff or your writing is not as good as someone else’s, but I just found five reasons that you should push those thoughts into some deep crevice in the back of your mind and finish your novel anyway. There’s no time like Nanowrimo!

P.S. If anyone cares, this is where I found the information on how much television Americans watch.

http://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/online_mobile/americans-watching-more-tv-than-ever/