I Should Know Better, Probably, ha.

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Kievah

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I've only been at this a few months, making a serious effort. Writing every day. Revising, then subbing what I write. Before this, I've occasionally been writing and / or studying or learning about writing since my early teenage years. Researching writing technique and publishing for over a decade. And I know far better than to react emotionally to a form rejection. Honestly, I do.

But ARGH!!

(and I know the reasons form rejections are handed out, and don't have any silly sense of entitlement).

Still, some immature, thin-skinned facet of "me" takes offense.

Especially after the wait.

Just gimme a "no", don't apologise or kiss my literary hinny.

Heck, I know I ain't no Hemmingway. I'm a nobody trying to find my way.

Gimme a "no", and give it to me straight and properly.

All right. That feels a little better.

How many of us pent up these outbursts?

I'm at rejection number 7, for short narratives.

Got mad for a few moments tonight, then rationalised it, took my concrete, and told myself to shape up, ha. Do we all slide now and then?
 

Myrealana

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Every rejection I get, I melt a little. I question why I write at all. I decide I'm never writing again, or at least never submitting again. It's just not worth it.

I get over it.

And every time, I get over it a little faster. I still haven't grown a thick enough skin to just shrug it off, but the emotional kick in the gut is just a twinge now.
 

Antonin

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Yeah, I'll admit I hate hate HATE the ones that are super nice. They're too sweet, like candy with too much sugar ya know? Yes I know the industry is subjective, yes I know that it's not about me, yes I know. I know.

But! At rejection #27 it is nice to see something different I guess. They're not really in the majority. Most of mine are "not for me, sorry."

The rejections get easier my friend. Usually I have to read them twice.

The first time when I process "Oh it's a reject."
The second time (after I've calmed down) when I go over it again and verify what is actually there. Since the immediate shock of the reject makes me blind to anything nice.

I once had this reject on a full, but since I was SO EMOTIONAL, I didn't notice that the agent actually said "hey this was nice, but [INSIGHTFUL REASON THAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT]."
 

Phaeal

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I have a 5-30 minute private rant, depending on how "big" a rejection it is. Five is plenty for a short story, unless it's been passed up the line to the "real" editor; then it merits ten minutes. Unless it's the "real" editor of a really impressive pub, then fifteen. A query rejection, five; partial, ten; full, fifteen; novel rejection by an editor, another thirty.

Gotta have a system. ;)
 

Kievah

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When the responses started coming in, I was stoked. Someone had actually read my work! And the first rejection was personalised and asked me to send along something else. But I'm finding that getting my manuscripts ready to send away and bouncing the rejected ones back out there is a long and frustrating process.

Impossible to measure any progress made, and I've only received form rejections since.

And Antonin (LOVE FF Tactics btw), the sweet ones are exactly what I mean. The last one was super sickly sweet and set me off for maybe 2.5 seconds, ha. It's us, not you or your writing. Subjective business, may have published something just like yours in terms of theme or plot, etc. I know why these forms are so politely phrased. I appreciate the editorial staff and their position and their time. But blowing smoke up my butt after a particularly bad day at work and hours after a previous rejection.

I have a system for writing, systems for rewriting, revising, editing, and subbing. Definitely taking the advice for a system for handling rejection, makes perfect sense.

Something involving eating chocolate comes to mind.

Thanks all for tolerating the vent!
 
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