Thursday, July 19, 2012

Neverending Rollercoast Ride

The viscious circle of submission and rejection. And submission. And rejection. And ... wait. Was that an acceptance? Woo Hoo!

*squeeeeeing while topping that ridge*

Another rejection. Blah. The uphill climb - the hope, the waiting. Then bam.


Another rejection. Another low.

Feels never ending, doesn't it???  These authors rode the rollercoaster. Perhaps you've heard of them?


J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter was rejected by 5 publishers.

Margaret Mitchell's Gone With the Wind (a pulitzer prize winner, mind you) was rejected 18 times.

William Golding's Lord of the flies got a big fat NO 20 times.

Stephen King had dozens of rejections.

John Grisham's first novel, A Time to Kill, was rejected by 16 agents & a dozen publishers.



I think my point is obvious. These folks didn't jump off the rollercoaster. They pulled those lap bars tighter and hung on for dear life, determined to ride it out. Did they enjoy every second, hands held high & squeeeeing? Did they hit the 'send' button in fear in trembling? Send out that snail mail package in excitement or depression? I'm sure they did both,BUT they didn't let the NO stop them.






There's an English word for a beginning writer who never gives up. Published.  - J. Konrath

Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing.
- Benjamin Franklin

Those authors didn't give up. Their stories of success, of perseverance (IN SPITE OF DISCOURAGEMENT!!!)  are worth reading. Hang in there. Keep hitting that 'send' button.

Do YOU squeeee? Cry? Smash your head on the table like that muppet character, Don Music, does on his piano? You know the one ...


"Oh, I'll never get it right! Never!" 

Yup. That's me. A LOT. How 'bout you? 


3 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. :( Sometimes motion sickness gets the best of me. hehe

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  2. I only ever cried once, in all of my submitting. And it wasn't for a rejection (I'd had tens of those); it was for the first acceptance from a publisher. And I cried because I didn't like their contract and my very first acceptance was going to be a rejection by me. I so didn't want it to play that way. I'm glad now it did, because I'm much happier with the path I've taken. :o)

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