The thing is… it’s unavoidable. We’re all rejected. All of us. And we keep on getting rejected. Picture a famous author. They’ve been published for years. Decades, even. Trust me, they’re still getting rejected. By movie studios, by foreign publishers, by book clubs. It’s the norm.
But the early rejections are so hard. I remember them well. When you’re in the query trenches (or on submission to editors) you doubt yourself constantly. Are the odds impossible? Does anyone really get discovered in slush piles? Will it ever happen?
To protect yourself (your mental health, your self-belief, your hope) a long-term view can be helpful. It’s tempting to compare your success, or the rate of your accomplishments, to those around you. You try not to do this but it still happens. And that can eat away at you. If you take an ultra long-term perspective you realise none of the traditional metrics matter. It’s the work that matters. Ideas. Drafts. Edits. Your joy when writing.
If we all focus on language and storytelling, rather than the noise, I think we’ll be more content. And that can’t be a bad thing.
Best wishes
Will
7 сен 2024
