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The first thing I ever wrote (aside from school asignments as a child) was accepted and published in an anthology. Every so often I even get a royalty check.
After that I started a more ambitious project. I have not gotten very far with it. There have always been "reasons" I couldn't work on it. I think the real reason is that I am afraid to put that much of myself into anything and get rejected. That my first story was a fluke.
Does anyone have any suggestions for getting past my fears and just writing? How do I forget about the possibility of rejection so that I can concentrate on the story?
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I don't have a solution, nor have I been published. But often I imagine if I was-- I'd feel the exact same way.
Posts: 1275 | Registered: Mar 2004
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posted
I'm sort of in Miriam's boat. My first pro sale wasn't even a submission, it was solicited. So now I'm afraid that it will be a long time before I can have a success like that again.
The solution: try again anyway. Grit your teeth and put those stamps on. I have begun submissions now, and while it is too soon to hear back on any yet, I am going to operate on the assumption that the first time was not a fluke. Granted, I may get a lot of rejections still. But you know what? There was something good there or my first one would not have been so successful. Which means that the more I learn and grow as a person and a writer, the better chance I have of doing it again. And again. And again.
OSC told me that after he sold his first short story, his next couple were rejected. So he sat down and figured out what he felt made his first story successful. He wrote another story incorporating those elements. It sold. He has sold everything since.
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I'm in the same boat as you. I'm struggling to write this novel, and most of my struggle is with myself. I know that what I'm writing is not on par with what I've read, but when I get really nervous, I remember one thing:
I am not my writing skill.
That's why high school and college English classes have you revise your work so many times, because it's going to happen in the real world. It's one of the few things these classes do right. Have you ever told somebody something and they thought you meant something else? That kind of misunderstanding is inherent in written communication as well. The inability to express any coherent story is not a character flaw, it's a lack of experience. If they reject your writing, it's only the writing, not you.
I've written countless poems and short stories in my brief writing career. Of all of these, I only consider four of my stories worth sharing with anyone, and only two of these do I actually enjoy myself. My poetry has an even worse record. But it was my first failures that led to my present successes. If something you write doesn't get a good reception, revise.
Also, and I know I'm ranting here, but I believe that the introduction OSC wrote to Ender's Game focused on the fact that a story is a transaction between the teller and the listener. When I read a book, I put just as much of my own mind into it as the author does. I've had many people tell me that my best work was poor. As a matter of fact, it wasn't - these people were just jerks.
So write what you wish to write, because you love it. If you sacrefice the joy you get to appease everybody, you're no longer an author: you're a politician. And know that if something doesn't sell, it doesn't mean that you are a bad artist or even that it's a bad story. It only means that, for one of countless reasons, the connection between author and reader wasn't made. Maybe it can be fixed, maybe it can't. If it can, excellent. If it can't, then the only limit to the rest of your career is your imagination.
[This message has been edited by Ransom (edited July 11, 2005).]
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I have lots of rejection letters and no sales. I don't think this means I'm a bad writer: it means I'm learning how to write. I send out my best work to date to editors. Rejection letters I know are likely to come back. But in this process, I become a better writer, and I learn more about the buisness of writing. If you think of rejection letters and submissions as a process and not final judgement on your ability to write, it becomes less intimidating -- at least, for me.
Posts: 189 | Registered: Jul 2005
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Troy, the FORM letter said she didn't care if the characters "lived or died or were swallowed by an earthquake"?? That seems remarkably rude to be institutionalized in a form letter. Wow. Well, I guess it would be even ruder if the editor went out of her way to say that.
I think Miriel's absolutely right about viewing it as process and not as a final judgement. Even a brilliant story won't necessarily be right for the market you've sent it to, for a lot of reasons that don't have anything to do with the craft of your story.
Write the story to the best of your ability, solicit opinions and revise as necessary, and then turn it over to the marketing monkeys and move on to the next story.
In my fantasy world, my agent sells my stories for me. He's a weaselly little man but he knows EVERYONE, absolutely everyone, from all the staff at F&SF all the way down to brand-new startup zines and knows exactly who to send stories to and can negotiate the very best deal. He's not above blackmail, either. Oh, what he knows about Ellen Datlow! Some day, someone's going to kill him, and it will all be very sordid and someone who is much closer to him than I am will write a best-seller and reveal all of his nasty little secrets, and I'll just feel jealous and left out, because I won't even be mentioned in the book. Not even a passing reference.
But anyway. In the real world, I just keep researching markets and sending my stories out. It's a long slog and is harder than writing the freaking things in the first place.
Get over it and drop it in the mail. Stop writing and go watch TV.
It's your choice. If you get a rejection letter, use that as an excuse to reread your work and fix any problems that "weren't there before." fix them and send it back out ASAP. It's a numbers game.
And most importantly, make sure you are always working on something. That way, you'll get to the point where you get the rejection letter and you say to yourself, "Oh yeah, I remember that story. Which magazine was next on the list?"
Really. It's all a numbers game. Never forget that fact and let yourself start to take it personally.
quote:My first story was accepted by Marion Zimmer Bradley. (I'm still getting royalty checks on that one, too. ) My second submission was rejected with a form letter that said she didn't care if the characters "lived or died or were swallowed by an earthquake."
I had to laugh when I read AndrewR's comment on the form letter. I am presuming MZB was the "she" you refered to? Somehow, it seems in character for her.
I was fortunate enough to see her lecture once. A friend and I attended this special event and were seated, anxiously awaiting MZB to take the stage. While we were waiting a frumpy woman who looked like a bag lady struggled up onto the stage. We whispered to each other: "What is that woman DOING? Doesn't she realize Marion Zimmer BRADLEY is about to speak?" She had on a frowsy mouse-brown house-dress, white anklets, a pair of well worn shoes, and had an old handbag tossed over one shoulder. It wasn't until she shambled up to the microphone that we realized she WAS MZB! She was opinionated, interesting, and all we had hoped for. And the whole time she talked, she had that stupid handbag slung over her shoulder like she'd only stopped to chat for a moment before heading out to the grocery store. I got her to autograph my copy of Mists of Avalon. But I'll never forget how odd she looked, or the fact that she didn't give a rip about it. When I grow up I think I want to be like her. Especially when it comes to her writing!
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I suppose the option of 'quitting while you are ahead' works too, if you can't bring yourself to write anymore. After all, you will always have a perfect win/loss record.
Personally I am incapable of choosing that option; others may be able to.
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Yes, it was MZB who sent that rejection. It was a new form she had just created, and may have been a bit rougher than she intended. Also, she had bought my previous submission, and may she have been disappointed that the next one was not up to snuff. Believe me, after that, I only sent her my absolute best work.
But the best thing was, after getting a rejection like that, the typical “you’re story does not meet our needs at this time” rejection seems like a kiss on the cheek.
Miriam, I have two other tricks I use to keep the “inner critic” silent.
First, I imagine the critic to be some stuck-up English teacher, who, sniffing at my story, says, “This is junk. You’re no writer.”
And I say, “Oh, yeah. Well, $300 says you’re wrong!”
The teacher smiles and says, “I’ll take that bet.”
Then I smile and say, “I’m sorry, you misunderstood. That was not a bet. That was the advance for the story I sold.”
The other thing I do is remember the words of a wise man who once said, “It is by faith that you are saved, not works.”
Admittedly, He was speaking in a different context, but it applies to writing as well. Before you can succeed, you have to have faith in yourself and your story. You have to believe in yourself and your tale.
Fortunately, you have proof that you can write: your published piece. If you can do it once, you can do it again. And if you feel strongly about your story, that is all the proof that you need to know it is worthwhile. Your enthusiasm for the tale is validation enough.
Sure, not everyone may like it, but that’s the way of the world. I remember sending a flash story off to a critique group once, and getting back a critique saying, “Well, it was a good try, but it didn’t work.” I received that critique about a week after selling the story.
So remember, no one knows if a particular story is good enough to sell. Not even you.
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