Manuscript update: I’m at 4,276 words and need to write 1,000 words a day to make my goal of finishing by the end of May. Onward…
I’m catching up on some blog reading — when I should be working on that 1,000 words for my book — and I found Cec Murphy‘s first two posts in a serious about rejection.
I’m in query mode right now with my second novel — and trying, unsuccessfully, not to think about it as I move onto my next book. Although I’ve received a request for the book and am still waiting for responses, rejections are hard and can double, triple the doubts that already plague most writers’ minds.
So, I thought it was great to see Cec’s posts today, part 1 explaining that a writer will receive many rejections during his or her career, and part 2 explaining that a rejection is about one particular work and not personal.
After I received a rejection in the mail the other day, my fifth, I remembered that a friend of mine who’s a New York Time best-selling author received 25 rejections before she got her first agent. And there are so many stories about best-selling writers, including J.K. Rowling, who received numerous rejections before someone took a chance on them and, well, you know the results.
Like Cec says in his first rejection post, rejections are a writers’ badge of courage. Don’t let them get you down. Let them push you on. Wear your badges of courage with pride by digging in deep to your next novel and never giving up.
Write On!
2 Responses
I’m going to be taking your advice soon to not let rejections get me down. I’m almost ready to query. It is so hard to hear no. Like you, I hope I’ll get into my next novel and try not to think about it too much.
It’s hard not to obssess about it, Natalie. LOL
But yes, it’s so important to remember that it doesn’t mean anything to you personally and it’s just part of the job. You access the rejection, see if it says anything that could help you improve, then put it away and move on.
And for me, the best way to move on is by jumping into your next book.
Good luck with your queries.