At some point in every writer’s life an email will pop into your inbox. Somewhere in those few lines, there might be the words ‘unfortunately’ or ‘not for us’ and a little piece of your heart will break.
Being a writer means being able to deal with rejection. We all know it but it doesn’t make dealing with it any easier.
So, if you’re experiencing the dejection that comes with rejection, here are some tips I hope will ease the sting and keep you writing.
1. Think why you write. Is it to share something of yourself and your story? To share someone else’s story? To be published? To make money? There are many ways to be published today that don’t rely on more traditional routes (I wrote a blog on this here). Indie publishing comes with its own challenges but it is another way to share what you want to say with the world. If your goal is to make money, you can join Facebook groups like ‘Wide for the Win’ or ’20 Books for 50K’ to learn how others achieve this. Understanding why you write can help you refocus on what you really want to achieve and, hopefully, help you through this difficult time.
2. When those rejections pile up, it might be time to take a few days or weeks off for some much needed self-care. What can you do to take a break from writing and to build up your resilience again? Is there another creative pursuit you can follow? With a bit of distance from the rejections, you can take stock and refresh. If the rejections are coming too frequently and you’re in the mindset of reconsidering your writing, a break is probably even more essential.
3. Unless you love writing for its own sake, the rejections can take their toll. Maybe it is Ok to re-assess what you want to achieve with your writing. Maybe in that process you will re-discover the joy of writing or maybe not. Maybe you’ll find something else to replace the creative outlet you so fervently seek.
If you find writing must be part of your life, then embrace that. Please don’t, whatever you do, let rejections steal the joy of telling the story you want to tell. Writing is too precious for that. You’re too precious for that.
Until next time,
Jacqui.
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Jacqueline Hodder 