Writers Write
LRG (Let Rejections Go)
September, 2021
The Leftovers: Last month’s lipogram was brought to you by the letter “Q.” Because no one guessed the answer and I’m still wanting to give away a book, the first person who tells me the origin of the phrase “brought to you by the letter[s]” will be sent one of my books. Answers should be sent to Cuethelight@cox.net with Answer in the subject line.
The Appetizer: What happens when you get a rejection of a writing submission? I know the answer to that because my writing work has been rejected numerous times over the years. In fact, I am sure that I have received more rejections than I have acceptances (and I’ve had a lot of acceptances. Check out my list where I decided to start tracking them in 2018):
See http://izzieshakespeare.blogspot.com/
By the way, I recognize that this is a crummy website, but I’m only using it to store victories in publishing and wins in contests: 1) so I can keep track and not re-enter the same wins into the same contests, which tends to be against the rules; and 2) everyone’s ego, including mine, needs a little boost every now and then, yes?. This site can do that for me, and shhhhh! It’s a secret website.
I’m working on a polished website, but I will keep my free, secret, storage-bin website for the reasons cited above. Who said storage bins are pretty? Nobody ever. (Sidebar: Well, maybe Marie Kondo, so long as the storage bin brings you joy. No, she probably wants us to throw out storage bins so there is less stuff in our homes).
The Main Dish: Here is exactly what happens or should happen when we get a rejection: Nothing. That’s right. Nothing. We would get no pleasure from it, of course, but the world continues to spin on its axis despite rejections. The sun still shines in the day, and the moon still shines at night. Some people still fall in love and get married, have babies, go grocery shopping, and work to pay the bills. Some people still fall out of love, suffer the pain of a divorce, incur the bad health of disease, or mourn the death of a loved one. But none of this is due to the rejection of anyone’s writing.
What can we do about a rejection, anyway? Arguing with an editor does no good, but only sours our reputations for any future acceptances from that particular publication. Stressing over a rejection only hurts our mental health, which can lead to hurting our physical health. Heaven knows life is full of enough hurts without adding any unnecessary stress over a literary rejection!
Instead, the best course of action is to move on. Just like the advice in the song written by husband-wife team Bobby and Kristen Anderson-Lopez for Frozen, let’s all learn to, “Let it Go.” We must remind ourselves that not everyone is going to love all of our work all the time. If you ever want to think otherwise, you are in line for some gigantic disappointments. (Sidebar: In the East, people stand on line. In the Midwest, we stand in line).
By moving on, that does not mean that we should forget the rejected piece. If we like the piece we wrote, we can search for other markets for publication or writing contests where we can enter the piece. Let it go (the rejection), but hang on to hope for dear life. Hope is the lifeblood of writers.
There are always numerous opportunities for writers. Granted, there are always opportunities for rejection, too. Who cares? First of all, if the rejection hits us as a matter of pride, remember that no one knows about the rejection unless we tell them. (Sidebar: Maybe, I should start including my rejections on my crummy, storage-bin web page, too, just to show how often they occur. No, that would take up entirely too much space!).
A rejection never means that the actual work submitted is bad. A rejection simply means that the work is not right for the publication where the work was submitted. What if I sent a story about dogs to a magazine that wants cat stories? That doesn’t fit what the publisher wants, so a rejection is a natural response. As the “Rock Island” song says in Meredith Wilson’s The Music Man, “Ya gotta know the territory.” Always know the territory covered by the publication.
That doesn’t mean that just because we fit the category (know the territory) that our submission will be accepted. Sometimes, we will never be able to identify why our submission was rejected. Time to return to letting it go!
We must avoid the temptation to compare ourselves to the writers who were accepted by the targeted publication. We should never say, “Why did John Doe and Jane Doe get accepted? My writing was as good -- if not better than -- theirs.” Maybe it was; maybe it wasn’t, but such thoughts will only do you harm by causing you to be bitter.
Instead, say, “Good for John Doe and Jane Doe!” Let’s celebrate the accomplishments of our fellow writers. Recognize that we are all different writers, and comparisons lead only to discouragement. We can never be John Doe or Jane Doe, but also John Doe or Jane Doe can never be us. Even twins cannot be each other.
Letting go doesn’t always come easy. We are, after all, human beings with a built-in temptation to compare and envy those who received what we did not. Corinthians 1: 10:23 says, “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.”
Letting go is the escape when it comes to rejection. (Sidebar: If you are holding a helium-filled balloon by a string and you lose your grip on the string so that the balloon flies away, what can you do about it? Nothing. You let it go accidentally, but now you must purposely let go of the vanishing balloon).
Again, a rejection is not the end of the world, nor should we ever make it so. Although there may be a sign in Santa Monica that indicates “The End of the Trail,” my hope is that we all refuse to allow a rejection to mark the end of the trail for us. Keep writing, everyone, and please know that The Dessert of acceptance of a submission to a publication or a contest win is on the way!
