Pushing Past Rejection

by Jeannie Ruesch

As most of you know, I’m pretty far away from my writing at the moment.  With the other areas of life taking up every spare hour of the day, my writing was something that –at this point–needed to be put aside so I could focus.  And I have to say that I had the luxury of doing just that, because I’m not mid-deadline with a publisher and I don’t have an agent expecting things from me right now. (Way to throw a silver lining on that, I know.)   But it does give me the freedom to make the choices I’m making.

But just this past week, I got two rejections on a short story.   It’s the first short story I’ve ever written, so I try to give myself a break on that.  And one of the publishers did provide feedback and invite me to submit other work, so I know that was a positive.  But no matter what you tell yourself, it’s never easy to have someone say, “No, thanks.”

I’ve noticed that the farther away from my writing I get, the easier it is to doubt the work I’ve done.  Dealing with the rejections when I’m not writing consistently seems more difficult, too.     In the past, rejections weren’t easy, but I found the best way to deal with them was after a day or so of wallowing (and chocolate), I would jump right back into whatever I was working on.  It always worked for me. I would ignore the inner critic, the uncertain part of me and just keep typing.  In a matter of days, the rejection was just another note pinned to the proverbial wall and I had moved past it.

Right now, I don’t have the time (just a few more weeks hopefully) to focus on other work.    I also don’t have a lot of time to dwell on the rejections, so that’s good. 🙂  But the combination of not actively writing my current WIP and getting a rejection on previous work is playing a little havoc with my inner critic.   Without the ability to stick to my usual plan, I’m left to come up with other ways to fight that doubt.

So instead of focusing on my work (without the time to really get back into it) I’m going to dig into the inspiration well instead and find some of my favorite books.  There are certain books by certain authors that always inspire me.   You have them, too, I’m sure.  So I’m going to load one of those onto my Kindle and be reminded why I love writing–why I love storytelling–by the masters who do it so well.  We’ll see if that’s enough to tide me over until I can focus on my story again.  I think when I load that “favorite” book, I’ll also load up my current WIP and start reading it from the beginning, too.

What about you? How do you push past the rejections?  What is your process, if you have one?

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6 comments

Lavada Dee December 13, 2010 - 2:03 pm

Rejections of any kind aren’t easy to deal with. But for me they’ve gotten easier and I do the same thing you did when you could afford the time. I get right into my WIP. When I first started I didn’t have a good start on the next story before I started receiving rejections and that was horrible.

Your idea of reading a tried and true good story should work and if it doesn’t you’ll enjoy the process.

Enjoy, this too will pass.

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Laurie Ryan December 13, 2010 - 8:36 pm

Jeannie, you said:
“I’ve noticed that the farther away from my writing I get, the easier it is to doubt the work I’ve done.”
That really resonated with me. I feel like I’ve been dragging my heels this year and my self doubt has increased. Sigh. I’m knee deep in non-writing issues myself right now, so I’ve been thinking that, come January 1st, I’m kicking myself in the hiney and getting back to a solid schedule. Well, the fact that Lavada has sort of challenged me to a NaNo month in January might actually be what’s kicking my hiney. lol. Either way, though, my intention is to power past the self doubt and get some more work out there.
Great blog. And best of luck with your moving!

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Jeannie Ruesch December 13, 2010 - 10:44 pm

Now, if you ladies were talking NaNo in say, February…I could go along with that. Maybe. *g* Not sure my hubby would agree. LOL

But yes, I really believe that the less time I spent actively working on my writing, the easier it is for that doubt to creep in. Right now, I feel so far away from where I was a year ago. That entirely has to do with the distance from my writing on a regular schedule and the distance from being a daily part of the writing community — via blogs, twitter, Facebook.

So it’s an adjustment, a temporary one, and it’s tough to find ways to stay connected — this blog helps a lot, even when I only have time to skim and read quickly (and I do every day). As writers we work so hard to believe – in ourselves, in our talents, in our ability to make it. Choosing to take steps back from your progress is tough, even when it’s a choice. Even when it’s the right choice (and mine is.)

Definitely power past the self doubt — I have to remind myself this is not a sprint. I’m in it for the long-haul.

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JK Coi December 14, 2010 - 7:03 am

*hugs* I know the feeling and no matter what stage I get in my writing, the rejections always seem to hurt. I guess I’m just not the kind of person who can take those things with the distance they deserve. I hope that the things keeping you from writing regularly are still fulfilling, but also that you have the opportunity to dive back in soon!

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Robin Covington December 14, 2010 - 3:43 pm

Jeannie: Hugs to you on the “R”.

I see every rejection as an opportunity to prove them wrong. I wallow for a day or two and then jump back in.

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Stacey Joy Netzel January 2, 2011 - 7:02 pm

Jeannie–sorry about the rejections (though with my delay on this comment, it’s more of a reminder, so I’m sorry for that, too). I’ve read Something About Her–please don’t doubt your own ability to inspire. 🙂 You’re solid! I hope life allows you back to writing real soon!

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