Rejections Can Be A Good Thing

Look at this poor guy. He appears to have nothing in life going for him. Kind of how we all feel when that dreaded rejection letter or email arrives. Hits the ego, self-confidence and inspiration buttons all in one fell swoop.

I've received two rejections this month after having sent out only two submissions. 0 for 2 is not a very good track record, nor is it an encouraging way to begin a new year in my writing world. But wait! There's some good news involved here, too.

Both editors wrote me lengthy messages explaining the reason they didn't accept the work I'd sent. One was the editor of a haiku journal. I've dabbled in haiku poems ever since being introduced to the form at a writer's conference a couple of years ago. Since one of my goals this year is to step outside my comfort zone and submit to new publications, I selected my five favorite in my haiku file and sent them in. The editor let me know in a very nice way that I needed a better understanding of what haiku is, not just that it is a poem with a 5-7-5 syllable count in three lines. She even gave me a link to some good resources.

The other editor explained the reason they did not accept the story I'd sent, and she gave a suggestion as to how I could revise it so that it might fit their publication better.

Both editors asked me to submit again, which is encouraging, even somewhat inspiring. So, all is not doom and gloom with these two rejections. It's now up to me to act on the advice the editors offered.

Sometimes a rejection can be a good thing. We all want our best work to be offered to the reading public. If it didn't work the first time, revise or rework and try again. Then you might have a different look on your face. Even if it isn't accepted the next time, you know you've given it your all.

There's Joy in Writing

A member of my critique group sent a very simple list of her writing goals for this year. She said she was going to concentrate on the joy of writing and not berate herself over not doing enough of it.

It made me stop and think about that positive joyfulness that comes when we're doing something that pleases our mind and  soothes our soul. When I'm inspired and writing a story, I'm happy. Oh sure, I hit the frustration button now and then if it isn't coming out the way I'd hoped or I can't find the right words to say what I mean. But the act of writing makes me happy. 

It doesn't matter if there are dishes on the counter waiting to be put in the dishwasher, or if the dryer is buzzing at me. I don't care if the weather outside is dismal. I'm in my own world when I'm writing, a world that offers me a pleasant retreat from my everyday existence. 

I know that I will have to attend to those chores sooner or later, and I may have to go to the grocery store in a driving rain, but while I'm writing, none of that matters. 

I find joy in putting words together that my be of some beneftit to others. Whether it be as information or entertainment, the sentences, paragraphs and stories I create can be a positive in someone else's life. I've received comments from readers that tell me that is so. That makes me happy, too. 

When you write a particularly eloquent sentence or paragraph, does it give you pleasure? I hope so. We have thousands and thousands of words at our disposal, but it's up to us, as writers, to put them together in the very best way, and when we do an especially good job, it's a joy. 

The next time you are having trouble with a story, poem or article, stop a minute and look at the bigger picture. Remind yourself that there is joy in writing. Sometimes it may slip to the bottom of the pile, but you can reach down and bring it to the top like the cream on milk bottles of old. There is most definitely joy in writing, and like my friend, I plan to remind myself of that fact on a regular basis this year.