As my gutters gush with falling water this afternoon, I admit that my inbox has gushed recently with lots of incoming messages. The content is similar. Often sounds like the same writer has sent the messages because the notes contain "no", "no thank you", "not right for us", "um, maybe you should focus more", and the more cavalier: "we've had too many of these kinds of submissions lately. Message us next year". Really?!?! The Reagan's 1980's anti-drug Just Say NO Campaign is in full swing in my writing life!
I suppose I could get depressed. I could stop writing. I could just freeze up and hold everything back.
The problem is that almost twenty years ago I made a weird decision. I decided that rejection was normal for creative artists to receive and so to 'normalize' the experience of rejection I would instead choose to collect rejection emails, texts, or letters as badges of courage. Goofy, I know. Rejection = badges of courage.
But there is something about the 'turn' and 'twist' of this decision which compells me to keep writing! And keep trying. Like Dorie, who did help find Nemo, I just keep swimming...
A colleague says I have perseverance. My high school counselor back in 1987 called me stubborn. My husband agrees with both.
So, here I am writing again while it rains
Rejection- bring it on, baby.
No comments:
Post a Comment