Rejections…

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No one likes to get rejected, no matter what the cause.  But remember those dates when that great guy (or gal) didn’t call back and you never understood what went wrong?  Or the job interview you thought was in the bag that you didn’t get?  Or yes, the manuscript you were so certain of… Sometimes, all we want is the “why.”   And Angela James at Carina Press has offered a few answers. For the manuscript rejections, at least… There isn’t enough space on this blog to discuss why men don’t call, but this list sort of does read like the editor’s version of “We’re Just Not That Into You.”

These posts are terrific – she has provided one with snippets of rejection reasons as well as ones with snippets of acceptance reasons.  So let’s compare:

The full rejection post is here.

Here are the top reasons:

1.    The manuscript doesn’t catch the reader’s attention from the start.
2.    The story doesn’t stand out as fresh or unique.
3.    The author has included too many unimportant details and not enough important details
4.    The writing just isn’t there
5.    The voice of the manuscript/characters doesn’t work
6.    The reader can’t connect to the characters, they’re not fully realized or believable
7.    The story requires too much suspension of disbelief
8.    The manuscript starts well but doesn’t follow through
9.    Unnecessary subplots
10.    The conflict wasn’t sustainable

(read the specific editor comments on the blog post)

To me, the great thing about this rejection list is that all of those can be WORKED on.  Yes, writing is a craft… it’s a learning process.  Sometimes, it’s a matter of knowing exactly what you need to work on that can be the difficult part.  If you look at “the writing just isn’t there” — that is not saying that this writer can’t write, it’s saying that they have more to learn.   In fact, everything on this list provides a jumping point for delving deeper into the work of writing.   Rejection is never fun, but if you look at it properly, it can provide you with the map to get to exactly where you want to be.

If you look at the “opposite of rejection” post, these are the reasons for acceptance:

1. Original story concept

2. Characters they can relate to, fall in love with, want to read about

3. Pacing that keeps them turning the pages

4. Developed world building

5. Skillfully told story that intersperses backstory

6. Sustainable conflict

7. Any and all of the above

(and again, read the specific editor comments on the blog post)

If you read the lists above and read the editors remarks, did anything resonate with you as an area you need to focus on?

As I’m planning the year ahead for Happy Endings, what guests to bring, what topics to focus on and the next workshop to consider,  here is my question to you. Which of these above would really help you to understand better?   Do you need to know more about world building?  Or about sustaining conflict?  Writing compelling characters?  Or all of the above?