REJECTED!

Rejects. No. Pass. Whatever you call them, you’ll get lots.  That’s all part of being a writer.  Every writer has a file of their rejections. Well, at least I do.  I have a real one, for physical rejections, and a virtual one, for e-mail rejections.  Plus another one on Submittable.  I guess that’s a double up on the virtual rejections.​

How do you handle them? That’s personal. Not as in, “I’m not telling you!” But as in how we handle the experience. Over the past few weeks, I’ve had three. Not just rejections, but three different reactions to the 1,256 MSs I’d sent out​ in early August. Hear they are, in order of preference:

1. NO!  YOUR WORK SUCKS!  WHY ARE YOU EVEN DOING THIS ANYMORE!​

I had this reaction after my mentor had recommended a small publishing house for my picture book manuscript, I sent it out, and got a rejection.  I’d even included the proper postage to get the MS back, and they didn’t send it back. Just the rejection form in an envelope with three stamps (I only used two to sent it out with the SASE).  This one hurt.  A lot. But you have to move on, and I did after some sulking and pondering why I’m even doing this.  Rationalizing it helped: they accept 40/20,000 titles a year. Odds are not in your favor. 

​2. Okay, I have it out with a few other agents I carefully research, this just wasn’t the right agent.

This is my reaction for most of my rejections.  I have two strong stories, one of which I’ve sent out to nine agents, and I have seven or eight others waiting to send it to if it gets passed on by all of them.  I’m still waiting to hear from six (I think...).​

3. HAH!​

I had this on Saturday.  I sent it out around 9:30 A.M., and got a form rejection around 7:30 P.M.​ ‘after careful consideration.’  Very careful. What could you do?  I laughed. We were definitely not meant to work together!

There are others, too.  A couple times I’ve gotten a non format rejection, and once I got a rewrite and submit.  And, one I haven’t gotten yet, which is an ‘I’d like to see more work’ or ‘I love your work, please call me!’ Yet.​

Did I miss any? Let me know!​

Why Do You Write?

So?  Why? 

This is a question my wife took me through over a year or so ago.  Knowing your WHY for what you do is very important (Did you know that?). 

The question came up when I was filling out a grant form for a writing program.  Why do you write?

When I handed it over for my wife to check, she said my ‘why’ was wrong. 

Wrong?  What do you mean? I write because I want kids to read.

No, that’s not it. 

Fine (it was finally my turn to say that!!!).  How about I want to make kids laugh.  Yeah, that’s my why!

Nope, that’s not it either.  Why do you want to write? What do you hope will happen. 

Queue the lightbulb. 

I want to make kids and their parents laugh and read together. 

Wrong. 

’Pop’ goes the bulb. 

More grumbles and mutters from me. 

Then I pause, and I think about the students I teach, and about why I read, and it hits me: 

I write for kids to help inspire them to create worlds of their own with their own writing.

But, I’ve discovered, I write for another reason. And here it is: 

           Searching for the right

      words to open my heart for

              all to see and feel. 

         a haiku by Erik Ammon

Well, okay, it’s haiku format, but not an official haiku.  It’s not about nature :) 

So, my question for you all to ponder, and feel free to comment, what’s your “Why?”

What Now? GOALS!

Did someone say goals?​

Okay, it’s not a goal- it’s Alyssa Naeher, Team USA Keeper making a diving save- my daughter’s a Keeper, so this is in here for her! 

So, what now? My break is over, I’m back at it- whatever it is.

I printed out a couple stories to edit, and have another story I’m working on for an anthology submission. But what are my priorities? Well, I guess those are my goals...

 1. Getting a third manuscript submission ready. That mean I have two! I used to send out stuff as soon as I wrote it and looked it over once or twice (YIKES!).  I thought my stuff was awesome!  Now, I cringe at the thought.  To think that I have two I know are ready to go is hard to fathom.  Hopefully, though, no one remembers my name from the stuff I used to send.

2. Wait. That’s the next goal. I have the manuscript out with seven agents (already got two no responses) and a list of nine other agents to go.  I will search for more agents to send to as well. So, I guess this ‘wait’ goal means to research more agents to send out to, while waiting.

3. Write. What? Seriously? Isn’t that what I’ve been doing the past five years???? Ok, I guess. Write more.  I’ve got that file of ideas, so, why not look for the next story or two to write? Practice, practice, practice (Yes, A.I., I’m talkin’ ‘bout practice).

4. Wait.  Wait you just said that. I know and now you’re talking to yourself and people will think you’re nuts. I’m not nuts, you’re nuts! Fine, whatever. Just wait.  Fine.

So, I guess, outside of that bit of insanity, that’s my short and long list of goals, mixed with a lot of waiting. 

What’re your goals?

Break Over!

Time to get back to work! My break’s over.  I don’t feel like going a full month, I’ve spent enough time sittin’ on my butt playing video games and watching Netflix and Hulu. I guess I cheated a bit, too.  I did look over a couple stories, though I didn’t change anything major. Tomorrow, I’ll write a list of things I’d like to accomplish over the next couple weeks/ months and tackle that thing-and yes, the first thing on my list will be: 1. Write a to do list. Why? Cuz I can cross it right off since i accomplished it! Now get to work!

Breaks

​No, not the fun kind where you fall and break 17 bones because, like me, you’re old (no, that didn’t really happen).

I’m talking about the Creative Break, where you break all your pens, pencils, brushes, canvases, brains...no? Not that kind either?​

Well, what kind of break are you talking about?

I’m talking about the kind where you take a Break from your creative endeavors (okay, and maybe break a pen or two).

A couple years ago, I was listening to an episode of the podcast Magic Lessons with Elizabeth Gilbert.  In it, she helped a fellow author who was stuck.

You know stuck, right? Where you stare at a blank screen, a blank journal, a blank canvas, and you get a strong desire to smash it, quit, never do it again, but you don’t because you were told to just paint, write, create whatever comes to your mind because that’s what you’re supposed to do since everyone in the history of the world did that and it’s easy so why isn’t it easy for you.

So you decide you need to quit. 

Yeah, that kind of stuck. 

How did Elizabeth Gilbert help? Well, she told her to take ONE MONTH OFF. 

<gasp> 

NO!  You can’t!  You HAVE to stare at a blank space and create...something...eventually! 

Yeah, take a month off. Then, use a timer and sit, and write for one hour.  When the timer goes off STOP! No matter what- okay, maybe finish that sentence, BUT THAT’S IT! 

That part of the podcast ended there, and she interviewed Neil Gaiman (MY WRITING IDOL!!!), then interviewed the author at the end of that month. 

At that point in my writing, I was stuck.  I didn’t want to write! I wanted to give up before I ever really got started. 

So, what did I do? 

I took September off. 

I’m a teacher, so I figured September would be a good month off.  I had plenty to do early on in the school year.  But, I still had to fill that time at night when I’d sit, and write.  Or stare at a blank screen. 

It was hard, especially towards the end of the month, as I was chomping at the bit to write.  I had ideas flowing, things I wanted to edit.  The ideas I did write down (can’t lose them!), but I held off on EVERYTHING else until October 1st. 

Did it help?  Yes! Tons! That next calendar year was my most productive EVER.

I did it again in September of 2017, even though I didn’t feel I needed it, and had another productive year.

This year?  Well, I took off part of August already, and will take off the next two weeks, to complete a month, but I’m ready to go already. 

Do I feel like I want to quit? Nope! Did I feel frustrated when I started? A bit, but nothing major.  I’m just taking the month off to refresh. 

Try a break from creativity when you’ve hit a prolonged slump, you never know what might come of it. 

Have you ever taken a regular break from creativity? Let me know about it! 

Take that break, and come out swinging!