Soon I will put up the first post in my Thirteen Tales of the
Gothic series, but first it’s time for the Insecure Writer’s Support Group. Hosted
by the amazing Alex J. Cavanaugh, this is a group where we share our writing
woes and support one another through this challenging (and often demoralizing) process.
This October I thought I’d do something a little different and
talk about the support I received after my gut-wrenching rejection last month
(the subject of my last IWSG post). All of my friends, blogging buddies and
critique partners immediately came to my aid with words of encouragement and
offers of comfort (or in some cases, blueberry pancakes, my favorite comfort
food). But one person in particular stands out as the most helpful during that
depressing time – my Uncle John.
He sent me an email that said:
- Walt
Disney's 1st animation company went bankrupt.
- Vicent
Van Gogh sold just one painting in his lifetime - and that was to a friend.
- John Grisham's
first book, A Time To Kill, took 3 years to write and was rejected 28
times.
- Steven
Spielberg was denied two times to the prestigious University of Southern
California film school. Instead he attended Cal. Tech.
- Stephen
King's 1st book Carrie was rejected 30 times and he threw the book in
the trash. His wife retrieved it and the rest is history.
Rejection is painful, and something every writer dreads. But if
everyone who’d ever been rejected quit, there’d be no Lion King or Little
Mermaid, no E.T. or iconically bloody proms. Not to mention Harry Potter, which
was rejected by twelve different publishing houses before it finally found a home
at Bloomsberry.
So for anyone who – like Disney, Van Gogh, Grisham, Spielberg, King,
Rowling, or myself – has faced rejection, follow my uncle’s advice and keep
fighting.
You uncle is awesome! And correct. Rejection sucks, but it places you one step closer to success. Just don't quit.
ReplyDeleteIt's only painful because we put so much effort (and pieces of ourselves) into this. I'm glad your uncle boosted your morale.
ReplyDeleteDamn right. Keep at it. And if you ever need a reader, you have my email address.
ReplyDeleteWhat an amazing uncle. I love that he did that for you.
ReplyDeleteI am surprised by how many times amazing books have been rejected. It does give me hope!
ReplyDeleteAllison (Geek Banter)
Great words of wisdom! I can't believe how many times awesome books/people were rejected at first. Makes me wonder what those people who rejected them are thinking now? XD
ReplyDeleteWell said, Lauren. It is the challenges that make the rewards all the more rewarding.
ReplyDeleteYour Uncle is right, so right. Need to post that on the bulletin board!
ReplyDeleteGood post, thanks for sharing!
Just so you know, I make the absolute best blueberry pancakes in the whole world. Seriously. They were mentioned in one of my camping posts, because I made them on our trip.
ReplyDeleteSeriously.
Wow. I didn't know those facts - definitely encouraging.
ReplyDeleteYour Uncle John is awesome. I want to print this and hang it prominently in my writing nook so I stay encouraged, thank you so much for sharing!
ReplyDeleteRight on! Knowing the people who made big but had to face rejection is a great motivator. Great site by the way.
ReplyDeleteIt's inspiring to learn about the obstacles successful people have run into as they tried to get their work out. Great post!
ReplyDeleteGood for your uncle! Not all non-writing friends and relatives really understand what rejection in the business entails, and not all of them care whether you keep going or not. Even small successes can be followed by rejections that feel like you are sinking back into failure. But it is not so.
ReplyDeleteThe path may be windy, but as long as you keep walking it, you are going somewhere.
What a great uncle. I wrote about my rejections this month too. Stupid universe.
ReplyDeletecould not agree more.
ReplyDeleteThat is always the way, sometimes people just need extra convincing that something is awesome :)
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely, thoughtful email. Can I borrow Uncle John sometimes please?
ReplyDeleteGreat perspective. A rejection isn't a universal condemnation of your work - rather it increases the chances that your work will be found by the right person :)
ReplyDeleteJamie @ Mithril Wisdom
Your uncle sounds like a wise man.
ReplyDeleteArrg! Your blog never shows up on mu dashboard page so I keep missing your posts and I don't know why.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, that small freak out aside, I think your Uncle John is awesome. That's a great email.
I'm not getting notifications either of your posts. Rats! Yea for Uncle John. I have a file with 26 (TWENTY SIX) rejection letters of SAVING GRACIE. I think JK Rowling got 9 so I'm WAY ahead of her:)
ReplyDeleteKeep plugging girlie. You've got a lot of amazing stories to tell.