I’m not going to cite one rejection but instead talk about some of the rejections (and I have many over the twenty-three years I’ve been actively writing) I’ve received that have bothered me the most. Two types of rejections stand out in the crowd. The first one is the very impersonal one. We all labor over our work, and when we receive a form letter telling us nothing but that they didn’t want our book, that is hard. Feedback, especially an editor’s, is helpful to a writer. But I think the worse kind is the rejection where you nearly sell the book and miss by a hair. Of course, there are comforting aspects to that kind of rejection, but to be so close and not make it, leaves a more lasting impression (hope mixed with lots of frustration) than any other type of rejection in my opinion.
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Hi, Margaret,
I appreciated the article. Sadly, the one and only story I’ve ever written was ultimately rejected in the second way you listed. That was sixteen years ago, and though I’ve tried to write other stories off and on during these subsequent years, I’ve never been able to get past the unexpected fear and grave disappointment that that experience instilled within me. After being on the cusp of publication, then finding out it wasn’t going to happen, I grieved for a while then moved on to other things, namely homeschooling my four children for the last fifteen years. Three of them are now grown, and the youngest has five years remaining. I often wonder how different our lives would have been if my story had “made it.” As devastating as that final rejection was, I have to say I’m thankful it happened. The Lord always knows what’s best. I am hoping to return to writing, and am praying that the fear won’t be an obstacle, as I remember how much joy I felt while penning that first story.