Monday, April 23, 2012

Rejection Junction
What’s Your Function?
Picking Up Authors and Writers and Clauses…

by Hilde Garcia

What to do while I wait for a reply or a contract or a rejection letter?
  1. Eat chocolate
  2. Clean your garage
  3. Organize the sock drawer
  4. Stalk your editor on Facebook- no wait, only in my dreams
  5. Post on your blog
  6. Eat more chocolate
  7. Watch a movie
  8. Pretend not to care
  9. Look in my mailbox every day, every hour, (not my real mailbox, the electronic one)
  10. Relax and start a new project- hah, easier said than done.
So, the hard part about waiting is waiting.  It makes no sense, but my mind won’t let go of all the expectations I have for that manuscript once it left my hot little computer. 

I fantasize about what might happen, the famous people I will meet, the loads of money that I will earn.  I hope I am like a breakout author who has instant success.  I dread rejection, I mean, how dare anyone say something is wrong with my work.

Maybe I should occupy my waiting time with writing?

Jane Yolen said it best when she says rule number one is “B. I. C. - butt in chair.”

There is nothing I can do, no amount of hoping that will make the process go faster or change the outcome of my project.  I find that after I sent out my story, feeling confident I will get a quick reply- (it’s been 3 months, should I worry?)- I can’t even think of another story.

It’s like my mind is stuck on the one I sent out because I haven’t had closure with it yet.  How can another idea pop into my head with that open wound?  I say wound because until it is published and making me money, it won’t seem like it’s healed.

The hard part for me is the idea. This was my first novel, my first attempt at writing and even being part of a blog and a critique group.  I had a solid and great idea.  I turned it into a book with my group’s help. I got people interested in it and sent it off as requested.

I felt bold.  And boom, now what?  I got nothing.  Will my group think I am a fraud? A one hit wonder?

So, what to do when you send the manuscript out? 

Write, write and write! 

Even if it never sees the light of day, if I keep putting one word in front of the other, something good is bound to develop. (Right? Someone please tell me this is true.)

In the meantime, I will eat chocolate and organize my sock drawer (and yeah, keep writing.)

9 comments:

  1. I know how you feel!! I'm off to fnd chocolate...or an idea...

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  2. Make cookies...coookkkiiieeesss!

    Hilde is right. The hardest part of waiting is waiting. Love this post.

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  3. Keep submitting. The hardest part is turning it around and sending it out again.

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  4. The more things I have out there the easier it is to handle waiting - or rejections.

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  5. It's a hard lesson to learn - i'm waiting to hear about four submissions/comps just now and checking emails constantly (and trying not to eat chocolate). It's one of the reasons I flit between different types of writing, so I've always got something on the go while impatiently waiting for replies!

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  6. The waiting is torture. I tend to be relived when I don't see a reply because I know there is still a chance then the self doubt sets in and I'm convinced it won't be.

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  7. Keep on writing or take a much needed break while you're waiting. I know that waiting is pure agony. You just can't help waiting for the mail person, though!

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  8. Chocolate sounds like a great idea while waiting! Writing is a bit more productive though. Fun post, but definitely good advice to write, write and write!

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  9. According to Tom Petty, the waiting is the hardest part. Meanwhile, it's my pajama drawer than needs organizing...

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