Rejection Notices

[Chuck Stromme]

I got my first rejection notice yesterday. It was very kindly worded. The folks at the publication thought my submission wasn't quite what they were looking for. I was crushed.

It shouldn't have been such a surprise. The surprise would have been if they had accepted the first thing I ever submitted. No surprise, they didn't. I was SO sure they would, though, so sure that I was perfect for them. Couldn't they see that?

I've learned some things and as I process my feelings I'm sure I'll learn more. Most important, at least for now, is that I'm not writing for someone else and I shouldn't measure my writing by rejection notices. That's a hard one. I write for me and for us here. If someone else likes what I've written, that's a great bonus. If someone publishes something I've written... well, I'll be sure to let you know.

In my biased opinion, my writing is evolving. I'm better than I was. My writing class is helping and I'm going to take our instructor's "memoirs" class in the spring. I'd like to take her fiction class later on but it's on Thursdays and I have a Thursday evening commitment. Too bad. Writing here at WriteNow! helps too, and it feels good to me. It feels right. It feels like home.

Time to get over myself now and get back to writing. I started my first-ever fiction piece yesterday. Fiction is a LOT harder than non-fiction (how do you guys DO it?) and maybe I don't have the imagination for it. I'll try anyway and see where it takes me.

I've got a lot that I want to say and I'll keep writing. Thanks for being here for me.

[Kathryne Nelson]

What did you send in and to who? Please don't stop sending your pieces in. I feel you write beautifully. It touches my heart every time. Heck today I posted for the first time and I haven't shared anything that I have written except with Mom or you. So you are far ahead of me keep on trucking and never take no not what we were looking for as an answer. How would people ever find a job if they took that to heart?

[Ransom Southerland]

First, it’s art . . . you’re not doing it to make money, achieve fame or gain influence – any of those things. Your primary consideration has been, “write what I like.” It’s a bonus if someone else likes it.

Second, if there’s “art” in writing (it’s creative, original, colorful, reflective . . . ), then maybe some of the rules for photography probably apply. One thing that comes to mind is that Ansel Adams took tens of thousands of pictures – to end up with a modest percentage that he liked and ultimately released to his audience. Now I’m sure he got better and better at seeing a shot as it might appear on a plate, hanging in a museum as time went by. He became better at and more comfortable with his craft the more he practiced it.

I’m reminded of a friend who graduated from the U. of O. with a master’s degree in art. He ended up as a business man, owning a printing/lithography company. One of his best stories related to an existing customer who was starting a new enterprise and came in to get the usual logo, business cards, letterhead and envelopes printed. He sat down in my friend’s office and began to explain what he thought the logo should be.

My friend sketched as his client talked. After about twenty minutes, he revealed his design to the delight of his customer. When asked how much it was going to cost for the package, my friend replied, “$1,500.”

“WHAT!?!”

“How long did that take you to do?”

To which my friend relied, “Just about eighteen years.”

He got the job, printed the materials and billed his grateful client.

You’ll get better and better. You’ll like what you do more and more as time passes. Let’s see, how many library’s worth of books have you read, a zillion?

You know what’s good and what’s not. It won’t be long . . . others will figure it out!

[LC-Hawk]

Kinda like playing fantasy football eh?

Hang in there buddy.

There are so many different motivations for writing. From what I can see, there is only one motivation to publish. I am positive that your life is so very rich that fame and fortune are not what drives you to write. You have a story to tell and the size of the audience does not diminish your abilities nor your passion to write.

We may be a small audience, but we are very attentive and appreciative of anyone who wants to share. Keep doing what you are doing. Be patient. As your skills grow, so will your fan base, and your opportunities.

[Edythe Stromme]

Rejections? Who needs them? We do! the only way to avoid them is to never submit anything. There are endless stories of authors who papered their office or cubbyhole with rejection notices before any success came their way. You are a step ahead of most of us to have that first rejection behind you. As you can see by Kathy, Ransom and LC's responses, you aren't rejected here. Any value we have as writers comes from our willingness to take the risk of sharing our thoughts. In my opinion success is measured by the feeling you get when even one person says, "Ah ha, I get what you are saying." Now that's some pretty heady feedback! Keep it up. Edythe

[Edythe Stromme]

Great story Ransom!

Ransom Southerland said:

First, it’s art . . . you’re not doing it to make money, achieve fame or gain influence – any of those things. Your primary consideration has been, “write what I like.” It’s a bonus if someone else likes it.

Second, if there’s “art” in writing (it’s creative, original, colorful, reflective . . . ), then maybe some of the rules for photography probably apply. One thing that comes to mind is that Ansel Adams took tens of thousands of pictures – to end up with a modest percentage that he liked and ultimately released to his audience. Now I’m sure he got better and better at seeing a shot as it might appear on a plate, hanging in a museum as time went by. He became better at and more comfortable with his craft the more he practiced it.

I’m reminded of a friend who graduated from the U. of O. with a master’s degree in art. He ended up as a business man, owning a printing/lithography company. One of his best stories related to an existing customer who was starting a new enterprise and came in to get the usual logo, business cards, letterhead and envelopes printed. He sat down in my friend’s office and began to explain what he thought the logo should be.

My friend sketched as his client talked. After about twenty minutes, he revealed his design to the delight of his customer. When asked how much it was going to cost for the package, my friend replied, “$1,500.”

“WHAT!?!”

“How long did that take you to do?”

To which my friend relied, “Just about eighteen years.”

He got the job, printed the materials and billed his grateful client.

You’ll get better and better. You’ll like what you do more and more as time passes. Let’s see, how many library’s worth of books have you read, a zillion?

You know what’s good and what’s not. It won’t be long . . . others will figure it out!

[Chuck Stromme]

Thank you, dear daughter.

Kathryne Nelson said:

What did you send in and to who? Please don't stop sending your pieces in. I feel you write beautifully. It touches my heart every time. Heck today I posted for the first time and I haven't shared anything that I have written except with Mom or you. So you are far ahead of me keep on trucking and never take no not what we were looking for as an answer. How would people ever find a job if they took that to heart?