Dealing with Disappointment

If you are a writer, you have to get used to disappointment. Maybe your story doesn’t go the way you want it. Maybe it doesn’t go at all. Or perhaps, worst of all, you write something you love only to have it rejected.

And then rejected some more.

I had thought I was ready to deal with any disappointment. After all, I’ve been rejected numerous times only to rise again and submit some more. That was until yesterday when I received a very polite, “Thanks, but no thanks” letter from a perspective employer.

I’ve had those before, but never after investing so much of my time and energy. I actually applied in May of this year. Then in August, I got a call-back. I went in and interviewed. Then I waited. For more than a month.

When I asked what was going on I promptly received a second interview after which I waited again for almost a month.

When I asked about that one I promptly received a third interview. While I was waiting for the interviewers to fetch me, a former colleague walked up. We talked and I told him where I was in the process. He said it sounded like I was almost through. One of my first (and second) interviewers saw me and stopped by to say hello.

All very encouraging. So I went into my third interview which was NOT what I was told to expect. No problem. I rolled with it and did the interview.

Guess what happened next? Yup, I waited. But not with baited breath. I’d be long dead if I had done that.

This was week three after the interview when the response finally arrived. As I mentioned above, the answer was, “Thanks but no thanks.”

Now what?

I think I’ll do what I did with my writing. I’ll keep trying. That’s why I have a book contract and three short stories either published or about to be published (not to mention three more under consideration).

I’ll probably mourn what could have been, but I WILL move on. As the old saying goes, “Winners never quit and quitters never win”. Just between you and me, I don’t plan on ever being a quitter.

Personal Update

I did get my two short stories finished and submitted. Now to wait. While I’m doing that I’m going to keep writing. There is another anthology called 20Spec (http://dragoninkhouse.com/) that I have a great story idea for.