Got two more rejections from agents this week for ‘Last Days of the Dinosaur’, but I’ll continue to push forward. That’s probably the most difficult aspect of writing to deal with – at least for me. I’ve never experienced writer’s block and I’ve never had a shortage of “good” ideas for a book. But let me tell you, after you’ve poured so many hours into writing, editing, re-writing and then re-writing a story again, it’s a little disheartening when you can’t even get an agent to take a look at your work. In all, I’ve probably received close to two hundred rejection letters from agents and publishers. Some of these were in response to a simple query letter (I’ll go into query letters in a future post) and some were in response to either a partial or full manuscript submission. Some of my stories (‘Touches’ and ‘I Am Maker’) found a home, while others are still looking.
What’s the worst aspect of the dreaded rejection letter? After a while it can cause an author to lose hope. After reading that so many people aren’t interested in your work, you begin to wonder if anyone ever will be. From there it starts to get a little harder each day to sit down and write. Don’t get me wrong – writing can be a very pleasurable experience. But for those who haven’t sat down and done it yet, you need to understand the sacrifices that writing demands. If you’re like me, you have a regular job that you depend on to put food on the table and keep a roof over your head. Then you have the chores that must be done on a regular basis. This leaves only a few hours each day open for writing. Now as a writer you have to choose. Do you want to spend those precious hours writing or do you want to spend them with your wife/children/pets. If you spend it writing, it’s a sacrifice not just for you – but for everyone that shares your life. As an author, your potential rests with that decision – as a husband or wife, the health of your relationship may rest with that decision.
That’s what makes it so easy to give up in the face of rejection. As I said above, my count is close to two hundred rejections in all. And I won’t lie; it’s a decision that I wrestle with every day.
In a future post I’ll talk about how rejection letters can have a positive influence on the direction of your writing.
Until then, take care and hold firm in your belief! J/W
