LET’S TALK ABOUT QUITTING. (I know, I’m just full of sunshine and daisies these days.) “When do I walk away?” is a question everyone faces at some point in their lives. Whether it’s a troubled relationship, a crappy job, a grueling education track, or anything else, there comes a time when you have to make […]
Writer's Life
How to Brace Yourself for a Tough Rejection While Holding On to Hope
I have often made the case on this blog that we should avoid what I call “prophylactic pessimism”: expecting the worst in order to numb ourselves to disappointment. But this raises the question: if we’re hoping for the best, but not necessarily expecting it, is there any way to prepare ourselves for coping with a negative outcome […]
Rejection Survivor Interview: Brian Gehrlein
A new pastime of mine in recent weeks has been stalking Twitter for writers talking about rejection and accosting them with a link to the blog and occasionally a request for an interview. (Is this what people call “promotion”…?) And I have to say, I have yet to regret extending that invitation. I always learn […]
Rejection Survivor Interview: Kate Maupin
Since I’ve started querying agents again I’ve been connecting more with other writers in the same stage of their careers, which has been such a blessing. I think one of the things that made it so hard in the past was the feeling that I was the only person I knew who was doing this […]
When Your Angst Isn’t About What You Think It’s About
Isn’t it wonderful that I’m back in the querying process so I have no end of material for you all?! Last week, I came down from the high of the Saturday night full manuscript request rather quickly. I got one form rejection Thursday night, and another Friday morning. And as I munched on my second […]