Writers, Rejection, and Lessons to Learn

 

This morning, I read an outstanding article at the Brevity nonfiction blog regarding why essays are rejected. If you submit your work for publication, there's an excellent chance your piece will be rejected. In fact, the odds of rejection are far better than acceptance. It's a part of this writing game that none of us enjoys. The slim chance of being published still shines brightly for writers, so we go for it. 

If you wonder why your essay was rejected, maybe you would like to read the article. I found it full of common sense and some advice that we might all take seriously. You can read the article on the blog at https://brevity.wordpress.com/author/brevityallison/t  If the link does not show up in blue, copy and paste. The author of the article is Allison K. Williams, who is an editor at Brevity. 

The article deals with essays, but rejection comes to us in poetry, fiction, nonfiction articles, and memoir submissions, as well. Some of the reasons our work is rejected have nothing to do with our writing. The publication might be full or overflowing, so they step back for a while. That has nothing to do with what you sent them. 

Other rejections offer us a lesson. Admittedly, the lesson is sometimes hard to find when we are still feeling the disappointment or hurt over the rejection. Let a few days go by, then go back and try to look for the lesson. If you're among the fortunate few, the editor sent a note with the rejection helping you to understand why your work was rejected. It only happens occasionally, so you will most often need to figure out the lesson on your own. 

When I read something I've written weeks, months or longer than that, I often see areas that could have been done differently, places that needed enhancement or clarity. Also areas that could, or should, have been cut. This is why I always recommend that you let a draft simmer alone for a few days, or more, before you begin to edit. You will see it in a different light and end up doing a better editing job, which only makes your odds of acceptance better. 

I think someone could write an entire book on the topic of 'writers and rejection.' Please do read the article mentioned at the beginning of this post. It might help you look at some of your rejections in a different light.