I’ll bet if you were to talk to ten published authors you would learn that most/all of them had many rejections before a publisher finally accepted their manuscripts. Maybe I should even underline many rejections just to be especially clear.
Why would a sane person put themselves through the pain of getting rejection after rejection? Is it because he or she enjoys the interminable waits followed by the dejection of yet another “no”.
Speaking as a rejected author I can tell you that isn’t it.
No, each rejection slip is another badge of honor that strengthens my resolve to see my work in print. I soldier on because I have faith in my stories and I know that if I’m not willing to fight the good fight no one else will.
You see, my stories have been there for me when I needed them. I’ve had times in my life where work royally sucked. Getting up in the morning was a chore and it was only the thought of my family that kept me going. To say I wasn’t having any fun would be the understatement of the year.
Whenever I hit bottom I would try and think of the things and people that brought me joy. More often than not my writing was factored heavily in there. It would get me going again. How can I possibly do less than give it my best shot to get it published?
The very thought of becoming a published, professional writer keeps me going. Kind of like those people who buy lottery tickets every week.
Do I expect to be rich and famous? No, but I hope to have a successful career as a writer and that’s more important.
And it’s what keep me going.
Personal Update
I’m really excited about an upcoming interview for ‘Get Published’. This week I will be interviewing none other than Philippa Ballantine. We will be talking about her recent two-book deal and her 12-year ‘overnight success’. It should be up very quickly.
I’m also looking forward to posting something new to the site: book reviews. Expect to see (and hear) my first one in the coming days.
