How to Avoid the Rejection Blues
The majority of writers will face rejection at some stage in their writing career. I am no different to any other writer and I know all too well just how disheartening and confidence destroying it can be to face rejection. But there are things that I do to help me persevere and the best thing you can learn as a writer is to never, never, never give up. Here are my tips to avoid the ‘rejection blues.’
1. Make sure it’s ready. You only get one shot at submitting to a publisher so make sure your work is the absolute best it can be before you begin sending it out. Don’t send your manuscript off the minute you finish writing it. Make sure you edit, edit, edit and have others give you feedback wherever possible. It also helps to leave your manuscript for a while before revisiting it. You’ll be able to pick up errors or see how it could be improved much more easily.
2. Make a list. List all the publishers that might be interested in publishing your manuscript. To avoid the blues it’s important not to dwell on rejection so if I receive one I strike that publisher off the list and simply resend it to the next one. Resend your work out as quickly as possible. With my novel Unloched, I was so unsure of myself after the first rejection it took me almost a year to resend it to another publisher. That’s a lot of time lost and too much time to think about giving up altogether!
3. Feedback. Be encouraged by any feedback you receive and learn from it. If an editor gives you feedback it means you were very close to having your manuscript accepted for publication. Editors offer invaluable advice that can be used to further develop your work.
4. Ask questions. Though most of the time editors will only send a form letter if your manuscript is rejected, there’s no harm in asking for a reason why. You may not get an answer but for me receiving feedback when I asked helped boost my confidence because the reason for rejection wasn’t to do with me or my writing.
5. Congratulate yourself. If you get through any stage of the selection process, give yourself a pat on the back. There are many stages in the process of a manuscript being accepted so if you make it past any of these you’ve done well and your manuscript obviously shows promise.
6. Keep writing. Don’t stop writing while you’re waiting for a response on the manuscript you’ve submitted. The publishing process is often painfully slow so get on with the next project. This will not only save you losing precious writing time but it will be a welcome distraction if a rejection does land in your inbox.
7. Don’t wallow. It’s easy to get disillusioned if you receive a rejection slip. As writers, we’re often our own worst critics and can be quick to tell ourselves our writing is no good. Don’t let it get you down and result in you giving up. When trying to get my novel Unloched published I received a number of rejections both before and after it was commended in the literary awards. Every time I did, the negative self talk would come it but I would repeat what my novel teacher said, ‘You must finish this work.’ Knowing someone believed in it was enough to keep me going.
8. If all else fails. Break out the wine, or chocolate, and begin afresh the next day.
A boy. A boat. A storm.
One day that will tear a family apart.
Two sisters are reunited, but for how long? Can their fragile relationship survive once the secrets of the past are finally unlocked?
A mother’s dying wish sends twin sisters Lauren and Trina back to the place of their childhood vacations, on the Gippsland Lakes, to restore and sell a dilapidated houseboat. Although the twins were almost inseparable throughout childhood, a wild storm and the events that followed drove the girls apart in their teenage years. Now, ten years later, Lauren and Trina are forced to face each other and themselves as they discover the role their mother played in their estrangement. As the houseboat is gradually stripped bare, so are the lives of these women as the truth emerges.
A story of secrets and betrayal, Unloched takes the reader on an emotional journey through the landscape of the family. Commended in the Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards for an unpublished manuscript, this is Candice Lemon-Scott’s debut novel.
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Genre - Literary fiction
Rating – PG-13
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