Writing is to Me, as Rejections are to, well, Me

Rejections can find you via snail mail, email, fax or phone.  Rejections can be worded nicely or harshly.  They can make you cry, roll your eyes or even throw your pen at the wall in your office.  (I mean, I would imagine one could do that…)

You get rejected in the home.

You get rejected via phone.

You get rejected wide and far.

They even find you in your car.

Rejections every single day,

Rejections, go away!

I will not eat green eggs and ham.

I will not eat them … wait, what am I doing!

Obviously, I got a writing rejection today.  It’s certainly not my first and sadly it won’t be my last.  But it’s funny to me that I have such different and varied reactions when I receive these joyous bits of encouragement.  And by “joyous bits of encouragement” I actually mean “lame, awful letters that make me want to pull my (beautiful) hair out and I could certainly do without.”

I don’t know if it’s my mood or the way the letter is worded, but I definitely can not anticipate how I will react.  Sometimes, it makes me sooooo sad.  The wondering of “am I ever going to get published!” comes back full force.

There’s also doubt.  Am I a good writer?  Are the people who have told me I’m a good writer just big liar pants?

Sometimes, it doesn’t affect me very much at all.  I read it.  I digest it.  If comments are offered I try to learn from them.  And then I move on.

But today, I am feeling angry.  And there is only thing I can type that will truly depict my inner thoughts on this most recent rejection.  Here it is:

L;kasdfkldmfkljfdvjkawefnuifnduiasfuasdfhzsfjkasd;fjhzsdfk;asdf;asdfuk;awerfnj;ijoawifji;asejf;oaesjrio;ajsdfl;kjas;klgslkfjsl;dfjoasdlfjasklefjjal;fjo;asjfioaesjr;asjeriuhR;JSLKAREJT!

Ahhhhh – that’s better.

I guess I should tell you what I’ve been submitting.  Besides this blog and my wonderful questions, I have been trying my hand at various kinds of freelance writing over the last couple of years.  I have had some articles published in newspaper, magazine and online. 

But ultimately, I would like to be a romance writer.  And no, not with Fabio on the cover.  I’m talking about Nora Roberts, Catherine Coulter, Debbie Macomber, Victoria Laurie.  I write contemporary romance with a bit of mystery/suspense.

There is one book in particular that I wrote a couple of years ago.  This is the book that I have been submitting and submitting and submitting and submitting and submitting.  And subsequently getting rejected and rejected and rejected and … you get the point.

Some people tell you to just keep on submitting.  I see their point.  However, I feel like I have submitted to every single editor, publisher and agent in the universe and there are actually no people left to send my manuscript to in the publishing industry.  This probably isn’t true. 

But it feels kinda true.

Why?  Why do I put myself through this agony time after time after time?  Couldn’t I be out there, doing something better with my time?  Is it really worth all of this?

Yes.  Yes, it is.  Because I love to write, that’s why.  If I stopped, I wouldn’t be me.  (Although I would still have beautiful hair.)

Thanks for listening!  And if you would like to commiserate about being a big rejected loser (with beautiful hair) like me, please feel free to leave a comment below.  (I will also accept any comments that offer a magical stress-free method of getting published instantaneously.)  Smoochies!