Hi, Everyone,
Well, it's the first Wednesday of the month, and most of us knows what that means ... Yet, another, INSECURE WRITERS SUPPORT GROUP.... very good. Hopefully we all remembered. The months are just FLYING by and before you know it, it's time for another IWSG post!
This wonderful group was started by the AMAZING Alex J. Cavanaugh.... WHO? is there anyone WHO DOESN'T know Alex? LOL. He is a force to be reckoned with in the blogosphere, that's for sure.
But, before I get into my featured post, I'd like to thank L.Diane Wolfe for her fantastic health tips on Monday's post. (if you haven't seen it, just scroll down.) The response was awesome and L.Diane checked in throughout the past few days to comment on everyone's comments.
I am really humbled how much you are all enjoying the health and fitness posts. Staying healthy is something WE all need to do so that we will are able to take care of our families, friends, and WRITING! Yes, we all slip from time-to-time ... we are human, after all. But as long as we catch it before it's too late, we will manage to keep ahead of it. Many of us are over thirty and for this we REALLY must be aware of our health. NEVER take it for granted.
On October fifteenth I will be the featured Health and fitness adviser... Hmmmm. Beware, I am far worse than any of my guest bloggers. LOL. And don't forget to drop me an email if you'd like to write about your health and fitness regime. WE ALL want to know, so we can keep learning to stay healthy.
Okay, now for my ISWG post ...
As you can see from the title I want to touch on the DREADED rejections. This week I had THREE! SO not fun. I had just recently finished my final edit on my Y/A edgy contemporary novel, The Blinded Gardener.
When I first started to query I hit pay dirt right away: A publisher request for a full AND an agent request for a full. I was on a high.... but only for a split second. Two months later the publisher sent me an amazing rejection. One I will always remember because she LOVED the novel, but it wasn't romantic enough for them. Oh, well, it could have been MUCH worse.
The agent .... now six months and three follow-up emails later has sent me NO response. I'm sorry, that to me is just plain RUDE... I don't care HOW busy you are, if you request a novel, at least acknowledge it with something. I am still waiting .... for any response.
It's been about seven months and this week I had sent out three new queries. BUMMER,,,, I thought I had a great query letter, but now I am questioning it, So a bit of insecurity about that.
As you all know I am not one to dwell on ANYTHING negative, so I will curse under my breath and carry on. A new week is coming and there are a fresh load of agents to attack... I NEVER give up. LOL. AND... neither should any of you!
For those of you who are on the query circuit like me, don't let the rejections get to you. Print them out, shred them up, and throw them into the air like confetti. Dance around a bit and get your daily exercise... Hey, how cool would that be? We can call it the "Writers Pitch" ... lol... Love the irony of this one... What a great stress releaser! Normally we tense up with pitches, this way ... HA! WE get even!
I hope that made you laugh. I'm certainly smiling right now... See Alex, we can even solve our own anxiety... LOOK what you've started here.
How do you handle a rejection letter. Over the past few years blogging I have read some pretty interesting stories on this subject, so let us know yours.
Well, that's about all i've got to say except HAPPY HUMP DAY!
Well, it's the first Wednesday of the month, and most of us knows what that means ... Yet, another, INSECURE WRITERS SUPPORT GROUP.... very good. Hopefully we all remembered. The months are just FLYING by and before you know it, it's time for another IWSG post!
This wonderful group was started by the AMAZING Alex J. Cavanaugh.... WHO? is there anyone WHO DOESN'T know Alex? LOL. He is a force to be reckoned with in the blogosphere, that's for sure.
But, before I get into my featured post, I'd like to thank L.Diane Wolfe for her fantastic health tips on Monday's post. (if you haven't seen it, just scroll down.) The response was awesome and L.Diane checked in throughout the past few days to comment on everyone's comments.
I am really humbled how much you are all enjoying the health and fitness posts. Staying healthy is something WE all need to do so that we will are able to take care of our families, friends, and WRITING! Yes, we all slip from time-to-time ... we are human, after all. But as long as we catch it before it's too late, we will manage to keep ahead of it. Many of us are over thirty and for this we REALLY must be aware of our health. NEVER take it for granted.
On October fifteenth I will be the featured Health and fitness adviser... Hmmmm. Beware, I am far worse than any of my guest bloggers. LOL. And don't forget to drop me an email if you'd like to write about your health and fitness regime. WE ALL want to know, so we can keep learning to stay healthy.
As you can see from the title I want to touch on the DREADED rejections. This week I had THREE! SO not fun. I had just recently finished my final edit on my Y/A edgy contemporary novel, The Blinded Gardener.
When I first started to query I hit pay dirt right away: A publisher request for a full AND an agent request for a full. I was on a high.... but only for a split second. Two months later the publisher sent me an amazing rejection. One I will always remember because she LOVED the novel, but it wasn't romantic enough for them. Oh, well, it could have been MUCH worse.
The agent .... now six months and three follow-up emails later has sent me NO response. I'm sorry, that to me is just plain RUDE... I don't care HOW busy you are, if you request a novel, at least acknowledge it with something. I am still waiting .... for any response.
It's been about seven months and this week I had sent out three new queries. BUMMER,,,, I thought I had a great query letter, but now I am questioning it, So a bit of insecurity about that.
As you all know I am not one to dwell on ANYTHING negative, so I will curse under my breath and carry on. A new week is coming and there are a fresh load of agents to attack... I NEVER give up. LOL. AND... neither should any of you!
For those of you who are on the query circuit like me, don't let the rejections get to you. Print them out, shred them up, and throw them into the air like confetti. Dance around a bit and get your daily exercise... Hey, how cool would that be? We can call it the "Writers Pitch" ... lol... Love the irony of this one... What a great stress releaser! Normally we tense up with pitches, this way ... HA! WE get even!
I hope that made you laugh. I'm certainly smiling right now... See Alex, we can even solve our own anxiety... LOOK what you've started here.
How do you handle a rejection letter. Over the past few years blogging I have read some pretty interesting stories on this subject, so let us know yours.
Well, that's about all i've got to say except HAPPY HUMP DAY!
28 comments:
I love how you linked rejections with daily exercise LOL!
I have never done the query thing - yet. But it breaks my heart to see super talented people getting rejections when they are so talented. I think you're right about not letting rejections get you down. Some of the world's best loved authors were rejected at some point! Keep working hard, and you'll get there in the end!
Hey,
Think the idea of the Fitness Pitch dance is great, but can see my non-writing neighbors looking through the blinds:
"Quick, Hank, he's doing it again. He's cackling wildly as he rips and shreds that poor, little letter. Are you going to call the cops?"
Hank sighs, dog-ears the page of "The Blind Gardener," the new, edgy contemporary hardcover novel by that Di Gesu guy.
"Yes dear, I'll call the cops - but they've been out four times -for the same reason - this week."
"Well, it's just not right."
Hank sighs again.
"I wish I could write," he says to the sleeping cat."
:) I like your spirit and positivity, Michael!
The non-responsive agent is always a killer. I'd rather know the bad news than be left hanging indefinitely. Can it really be so hard to send a one line email? Oh well, let it go, let it go...
mood
Moody Writing
Waiting and not knowing - so frustrating.
Like your idea of turning the rejection letters into confetti.
Just keep going. Your writing is too good to give up on.
Every rejection is a little soul-killer. AND they sap your creative energy to write other things. But we have to learn to live with them.
Even after you are represented and published, you will still have to deal with rejections. It's part of the business. And if you don't find a way to deal with them, you'll never get the joy of experiencing a YES!
Thanks for sharing. I've never queried yet, but hopefully will next year. Not looking forward to all the rejections. Will try your exercise tip.
Positive thoughts are good Michael, keep moving forward is the way to go. Good luck!
No response IS the response. Sigh. Best you find out the agent is rude before you get too far in a relationship.
Any one writer is only ONE source of income for an agent, while to us, the agent is the MAIN source. It is a rule of life: whoever wants the deal most will get the worst end of it.
Every writer must go through hundreds of rejections before hitting pay dirt, so each rejection is merely you getting ever closer to the right agent. Keep digging, Michael. You have talent, and it will see you through ... if you do not give up, Roland
I'm in the same boat with you, Michael (just joined the group and touched on this topic). It's a rough process, but it's good to experience it. You'll find a home for this story. The title alone makes me want to read it. :)
Love your attitude and any time I can make confetti and dance around, I am happy. I know it is part of the process, but rejection letters are going to be a true test for my sensitive nature. But, I will try not to worry about it before the time comes. There are so many other great things to worry about. haha.
Ah, rejections... the neccessary evil. It sounds like you were off to an amazing start with that one query (I think helpful critiques and 'positive' rejections are the exception, not the rule) and I agree that no response at all is just plain rude. But hopefully you can take something away from every rejection you receive, and use them as motivation rather than discouragement. Once you find that agent/publisher and your book hits shelves/iPads/e-readers, you can look back at them and laugh.
The fitness tips are every bit as helpful as writing advice. It's a lot easier for some people to find the time and motivation but with a little encouragement we can all achieve our goals. I'm looking forward to more of your posts (on both subjects). Cheers!
Well, I'm in re-writes, pre-query phase, so collecting rejections will be a step forward for me. (Does that help any?)
That sucks that they just didn't respond. I don't do queries, but with rejections for other things (mostly selling stuff) I just keep trying until I get a bite, I don't dwell on the people that reject my proposals, but I do try and learn from them.
You are soooooooo stinkin' talented, Michael. Like, so, so, SO talented. And I LOVE your attitude. I LOVE that you know you've got what it takes and you're not going to give up. It takes a strong person not to dwell on the negative, and love your enthusiasm and positivity. With talent like yours it's only a matter of when. You've got the skills, now all it comes down to is luck and timing. Serious.
LOVE posts like these... so inspiring. :)
Your season will come.
Thank you again for letting me do the guest post on Monday. The response was great!
I'm annoyed on your behalf that the agent has responded. That IS rude! And unprofessional.
I started querying over a month ago and got 6 rejections in one week. I hope that makes you feel better. Also, instead of printing them out into confetti, a friend offered to line her cat's litter box with them. That sounded like a great idea to me. lol
Like you, my response is to just send out more. Don't give up! :-)
Just keep swimming, just keep swimming. :) Maybe I could change that to just keep shredding.
Great IWSG post!
Oh man--that stings, doesn't it? Sorry about the rejections! I'd be right there with you but I can't seem to get myself to query at the moment. So at least you are doing well to send them! And I've been on sort of a hiatus with personal stuff so haven't gotten around as much lately, but I will get back to it--looking forward to the fitness stuff!
Sorry about the rejection :( Soon enough, we'll all be celebrating and throwing confetti everywhere!
The lack of response is annoying. Even a form, 'no', would do. Something.
Rejection means you're in the game, though. A beautiful place to be. :) One of these days, your yes will come.
Love your spunky attitude and positivity, Michael!
Hi Michael! I appreciated what Roland had to say. I decided my first rejection letter was the first in my journey. Even many best selling authors were rejected for a LONG TIME. They just don't tell that story much. Madeline L'Engle was rejected some 20 times. Hemingway quite a few times. And he got many bad reviews (some deserved in my opinion- still who wouldn't want to be published as often as he was???)
Cheers!
Michael, I think of rejections as battle scars in the war to get published. I had two in the last coupla weeks. Da da da da...
I haven't submitted my women's fiction novel in about 2 years. I guess I don't handle rejection well, lol.
I'm taking a week off my day job next week, and I'm hoping to revise the first chapter (which I think is killing my submissions), write a better query letter and synopsis, and send it to two publishers I've researched.
Yeah, I'm already nervous and thinking I should stick to short stories.
I wish you luck with BG Michael. I am sure some day it will be published. It is a great story with strong characters. Keep on believing in the story :)
........dhole
I'd say you've found an agent you CAN'T work with. Keep going and develop your Fitness Pitch dance!
Aww, sorry about the rejections, Michael. I had a couple myself. But the other detaield feedback sounds great!
Health, huh... well, I've been persuaded by friends to join the gym at work... first time ever at a gym...
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