Sunday, April 17, 2011

Rejection...

Rejection

This is something that will happen to you for the most part of your life. It’s here and it’s never going anywhere. It makes you feel worthless; it makes you feel like nothing is attainable. It makes you quit things and it can also hinder you from doing anything else. When someone says NO, it stops you in your tracks. You look around to see if they were just kidding or talking to someone else. But they were really talking to you.
Sorry you’ve been rejected.
I have faced a lot of rejection in my life. A lot. With each one it never gets any easier. It never softens. Hell, it actually gets worse over time. The few people who can overcome it and still keep their heads on straight, I applaud them. And please teach me how to do it. Because it’s hard out here, no doubt. And everyone is trying to get that one YES. That’s all I need is that one YES. That would be nice. But in order to find that one YES, you have to go through a vast sea of No’s.
And sometimes you’ll never find that YES. Scary huh?
The reason why I am writing about rejection is because I am trying to get my book published. Here’s the thing, I am confused. Everyone knows that this book is my baby. I let her go to early. I edited the book not really knowing how to edit it the way agents and publishers wanted it. I just went through to make sure the story was straight and there were as few possible grammatical errors.                     
                Little did I know, it was totally different. They want it to be “publishable”. Whatever that means. How do you know if something is publishable, if you’ve never published anything? So, I had a little breakdown. I hooked an agent with my query letter and then she rejected me. All the books I’ve read about overcoming rejection and how to this and how to that didn’t prepare me for this.
            But after rejection after rejection after rejection, I have to keep my eye on the prize. That’s the best way to combat rejection. To keep striving towards the goal. You could fall off and possibly pursue something else but if you really believe that you’ve got something that people need to see. Then go for it. If you love what you do more than anything else and you could do it for free then press on. Push past those barriers.
            Yes, it is easier said than done, and trust me, I know because I was just rejected this morning. But you have to take the necessary steps to hone your skill. It may be taking a class, joining a group in person or online or practicing over and over again and then some more. But you have to put forth the effort. Things, for the most part, don’t fall into people’s lap. You’ve got to try. You’ve got to do. You’ve got to plan, say and make it happen.
            Remember (I am still talking to myself) in a sea of No’s there is one YES waiting for you.


Much Love,

The Juicy Details

xoxoxo