A Little Note of Encouragement

​Dear Fellow-writer in the Query Trenches or on Submission,
​Hi there. I recognize you by your thin smile and guarded eyes when non-writers ask how your writing is going and tell you that they know someone who had just (self-)published a book. Also, by your impressive thick skin and your duck-like quality of letting rejections run off your back like, well, water.

Also, and mostly this: I recognize you by your Gatsby-esque extraordinary gift for hope and the bravery by which you wear your heart on your sleeve.

And I want to write you a little note of encouragement, because this brave thing that you are doing, putting your heart out there time and time again, just to hear “it is not for me”, or “I didn’t connect to your work the way I would have liked to,” or the deafening silence of no response – this brave thing is really, really hard.

Oh, you pretend that it is not. You make light of it by playing rejection bingo, or comparing fastest rejection times, or celebrating “champagne” rejections. You tell yourself it is the industry and publishing is just really tough right now, and that might be true, but honestly, it was just as tough last year, or five years ago.

The truth is, it gets tiring carrying so many nos. It is challenging to keep believing in your stories and the quality of your work. I see you. I feel you.
I am you.

And so, I just want to say that it is okay to feel the heaviness of this process. Every rejection is someone saying no to your dream. That hurts.

But that does not mean your dream is worthless or unattainable.

So, wallow for a bit. Acknowledge the sting, but then take action:

1. Keep querying. Somewhere out there is a person who will get your vision and will be so excited about your project that they will go home and talk their partner’s ear off about it. So, yes, write for the DREAM!
2. Write something different: Remember when you wrote because you loved it? Poetry, short stories, slice-of-life essays, reflections. Write something silly, just for you. Write something meaningful to someone you love. I’ve started writing poems to my classes as end-of-year gifts. Write for JOY!
3. Look for Work-for-Hire opportunities. When you write for a website or organization you work with an editor who has a quick turn-around, and you will get meaningful feedback fast, which is super refreshing and will stretch your writing muscle in all kinds of fabulous ways. Write for GROWTH!
4. Look at old manuscripts that were rejected multiple times. You could mine it for its gold and rewrite. If the hook is solid and unique, maybe it needs to be in a different setting, or with different characters, or a new angle, or a change in narrator. That character you love? Put them in a different story. Nothing is too precious to change. Nothing is irreversible. So go for it. Play. Write for FUN!

 
And remember, fellow-writer. Your dreams, your words, your stories, YOU are worthy,
Write bravely,
Amanda

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