How to Overcome Rejection

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“No” is a word that writers will hear often, especially if they are fairly new writers. Most writers all have a common goal: to be published. That could either be in an online magazine or journal, or in print materials. Unless you’re very lucky, the first answer you may hear after submitting your work is not going to be the one you want to hear. However, that doesn’t mean that you’re an awful writer or that they didn’t enjoy your writing. It just means that your piece isn’t ready yet.

Angela Doll Carlson, a published nonfiction author, gave me some great advice on how to deal with rejection. As a new writer, I’m trying to cultivate my writing skills with the hopes of publishing my work. Her advice really stuck with me and I wanted to share it with you. I hope it will benefit you if you’re a writer looking to get published!

She expressed how important it is to know why you’re sending this specific piece to be published. If the writer doesn’t know the value of their work then the publisher won’t either. She also advised us to be aware of how the piece fits with the values and themes of the journal you may be submitting to. If it doesn’t fit with the rest of the pieces they publish, odds are, they won’t want to add yours to the mix.

Rejection is not the end of the piece. Even if it is rejected, that means that it still has room to grow. So keep writing, and keep revising that piece. Carlson also suggested working on other writing projects as well.  It will benefit the writer to take a step back from that piece to give it some room to breathe. When the writer feels ready, he or she can come back to it.

The last piece of advice that she gave me was to support the journals or magazines I am submitting to – even if they tell me no. Writers should subscribe, read, and share the medias that they are submitting to, either online or print materials. If a writer supports the publisher, the publisher may then support the writer later on.

The take away from this conversation with Carlson was that of perseverance. Don’t ever give up on your writing just because someone said no. “Keep writing, and do it often. And when you can’t find the words to write, that just means you need more words – so read often, too. “