So, you are a writer.
Never been published? That is
okay. You can still be a writer. The more you think of yourself as one, the
more you will tend to behave like one.
So you had a manuscript rejected?
Eh, join the crowd. At some
point, you are going to get a rejection.
Several, most likely (unless of course you self-publish an ebook ). I say welcome the rejections. Should you ignore them altogether? That depends on the reason for the
rejection. If they give you a reason,
think it through carefully and with a critical eye. They may have a good point, or they may be
trying to take your story in a direction you do not want it to go. If that is the case, stick to your writer’s
instinct. It is a great time to ask for
feedback from trusted sources as well.
If you are not sure where to start or how to direct the attention of
those reading your manuscript here are a few suggestions:
1.
Have
the person read your manuscript once to get an initial
reaction
2.
Secondly,
taking the person’s feedback into consideration, try to get them to expound on
it if possible by directing their focus:
Ex. You can ask them if the flow of the
story seems to lag at any point
Do the characters act in a manner that is contradictory to the person’s initial
assessment of the character?
Did any of the wording seem awkward?
Was any part of the story unclear or a little confusing?
What were the main points the reader noticed?
Did anything seem redundant?
3.
Try to
think of yourself as a mediator between the critic and the work, rather than
the owner of the work. It’s very easy to
feel as though you need to justify why and how you wrote something, but chances
are if the reader is not getting the point, the writing needs to change.
4.
Give yourself some time to mull over a critique,
it is probably best not to do much with it right away, especially if you do
feel a bit defensive. Merely thank the
person and let them know it will take some time to work through their feedback.
5.
Everyone is different, so multiple readers are a
key element. With multiple readers, you
have an idea of how the majority will respond to your story and what they will
obtain from the writing. If the majority
of your readers think a particular paragraph is awkwardly worded, then it will
not hurt to investigate the paragraph for potential improvements
With all said and done, however, do not forget that this is
your work and remain true to your goal.
There will always be the few who will not appreciate your work or may
misconstrue things. As long as the
majority understands and can obtain what you wish from your piece, do not worry
about the others. If you are submitting
work and you get rejections that tell you the market is tight, do not get
discouraged. Keep trying, and think of
each rejection as another spot on a Candy-Land board bringing you closer to
your end goal. I’m thinking of putting
my rejection letters in a binder to chronicle my path to success, in case
friends or family need encouragement in their own endeavors to become published. Hundreds of rejections are better than never
having tried. Good luck fellow writers!
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