I think rejection is one of the hardest things about being a writer.
I'm not talking only about publishing houses denying to publish your work, although that can be a blow to the ego just the same. When I say rejection, I mean the fear that your book isn't good enough, that your ideas aren't original, that somewhere, someone is going to read your writing and think "My God what a self-imposing nit wit!"
Worst of all, you've probably already thought of all this every time you sit down to write a new chapter.
Maybe your writing hasn't been outright rejected by the public, but you feel like it has, or will be, depending on the genre of your work and how much it plays into what's popular right now. That's another hard thing about writing: you can write as much as you like about whatever tickles your fancy, but if it doesn't line up to what the market is selling/interested in, it can be challenging to get a toe in the door.
That doesn't mean you should cater to the masses and write only about what you think they want to read. That's not going to make you happy, and it's probably not going to make the public happy, either. You have to write the story your heart (or your gut) tells you to write, even if it's not everyone's cup of tea.
All the same, the lingering fear of rejection can keep writers away from publishing houses, be it traditional or ones that help writers self-publish. With my first book, I had no fear of rejection because I was naive enough to believe everyone would love my book. I was 18, what can I say?
But while working on getting my second book ready, that scent of rejection keeps sticking to my clothes, my hair, my hands, everywhere! And I can't seem to wash it off. Just the same, I'm still going to try. I've already received enough rejection letters to develop a semi-thick skin.
I didn't write this post so you could pity me, or any writer, for our relationship with rejection. It's a fact of being a writer and it's something that can get overlooked by those focused on the glamour of being a writer. So next time you see your writer friend, give them a cup of their favourite hot beverage. They've probably been up all night and need a boost.
I'm not talking only about publishing houses denying to publish your work, although that can be a blow to the ego just the same. When I say rejection, I mean the fear that your book isn't good enough, that your ideas aren't original, that somewhere, someone is going to read your writing and think "My God what a self-imposing nit wit!"
Worst of all, you've probably already thought of all this every time you sit down to write a new chapter.
Maybe your writing hasn't been outright rejected by the public, but you feel like it has, or will be, depending on the genre of your work and how much it plays into what's popular right now. That's another hard thing about writing: you can write as much as you like about whatever tickles your fancy, but if it doesn't line up to what the market is selling/interested in, it can be challenging to get a toe in the door.
That doesn't mean you should cater to the masses and write only about what you think they want to read. That's not going to make you happy, and it's probably not going to make the public happy, either. You have to write the story your heart (or your gut) tells you to write, even if it's not everyone's cup of tea.
All the same, the lingering fear of rejection can keep writers away from publishing houses, be it traditional or ones that help writers self-publish. With my first book, I had no fear of rejection because I was naive enough to believe everyone would love my book. I was 18, what can I say?
But while working on getting my second book ready, that scent of rejection keeps sticking to my clothes, my hair, my hands, everywhere! And I can't seem to wash it off. Just the same, I'm still going to try. I've already received enough rejection letters to develop a semi-thick skin.
I didn't write this post so you could pity me, or any writer, for our relationship with rejection. It's a fact of being a writer and it's something that can get overlooked by those focused on the glamour of being a writer. So next time you see your writer friend, give them a cup of their favourite hot beverage. They've probably been up all night and need a boost.