Guess what was waiting in MY inbox this morning. That’s right, the good old rejection form letter.
I’m choosing to look at this rejection as a good thing. In all of the books on writing I’ve read, they all say the same thing about getting that dreaded rejection letter. That you’re one step closer to a yes. They estimate it takes 100 no’s to make one yes. So far I’m only up to 20…well 21 as of this morning. I guess that means I need to start submitting more, huh? But here’s the thing. Submitting takes away precious writing time. Why can’t I have someone to do all that sort of stuff for me so I can just be left alone to write? Where is my unpaid intern who will fetch me mocha lattes and swedish fish when my muse demands them?
The awful truth is that we self-published writers have to do it all. We have to find the time to write while still being a mom/wife/housekeeper and breadwinner, send out submissions to contests to boost your resume (which you have to PAY to enter), query agents (which has a long and tedious right/wrong way to do so effectively which you have to spend time and research on–gah!), update your blog (and find yummy pictures of coffee to torment us all), write thank you notes to rejection letters (yes, really. Never burn bridges-simply send a thank you for their time reading your submission and remind them you’re still alive and kicking), read literary magazines (to keep you current in the field), and for me, take graduate classes.
Do you see why I need the Mocha Latte? And a Jeeves?
Danielle Bannister, Author 