Rejections Offer Lessons for Writers

 

Good advice in today's poster. Never a failure, always a lesson. I believe that's true, and I have written on this topic more than once. 

When we fail, which to us writers means a rejection, we need to look for a reason that we failed. We must find the lesson. There is almost always a lesson to be found. 

The bigger problem is when we don't look for a lesson to be learned or when we see the lesson but don't heed it. It's another of those 'it's up to you' situations. 

This month, I have received three rejections out of six submitted. Still waiting for answers on the other three, and it will be quite some time as the anthology doesn't answer quickly. I did ask myself why the rejections came for the other three. 

On one, I think I aimed too high. The publication takes only the very, very best. But I decided to give it a try anyway. I wasn't surprised when the rejection arrived. I suppose the lesson here is to not try to submit to publications far above my writing level. Definitely something to consider, and I often pass right by the ones I don't think will give my work a chance. Another lesson here might be to go ahead and try submitting to an elite publication. There's always a slim chance they might like what I send. 

On a second one, I felt my story fit the magazine guidelines quite well. They did not, even though they have published another story I had sent a while ago. When I reread my story, I realized that the emphasis was not on the person it should have been to fit the guidelines of this magazine related to disabilities. Definitely a lesson learned.

The third rejection was a poem with slight political overtones, and perhaps the publication shied away from poetry of that kind. Or perhaps the editor had a totally different opinion on the topic. I think my lesson here is to either research the editor and publication more carefully to see which way they lean or to avoid sending anything with a political inference. 

There are lessons to be found in all our rejections, but we have to look for them. I would suggest you not start that search immediately after receiving the word that your submission didn't make it. Give it a couple days, then start seeking some answers for what the lesson might be. 

Do remember that rejection is a very big part of the writing world. The acceptances serve to soothe our ruffled feathers over the ones that didn't make it. Whatever happens, don't stop submitting.