Rejection is part of this gig. Sometimes it feels like the whole gig. While I often reassure friends that publications and awards are a numbers game, I haven't really believed it myself. I've let rejections slow down my writing, revising and submitting. I've taken it personally, I've missed deadlines. But this spring I've been trying to submit like I'm made of Teflon, and even relish the process a la Jac Jemc. And it’s gone…all right. Here’s the tally for 2017 so far:
Story:
- Form Rejections: 5
- Encouraging Rejections: 1
- Personal Rejections: 2
- Still Waiting: 11
Highlights include my nth tiered reject from dream journal One Story. (I’m starting to suspect it’s what they send everyone.) Zoetrope sent a handwritten (and honestly bizarre) rejection that said the story was “very close to beautiful.” But the BEST one came with a very lovely, sharp note from Speer Morgan at Missouri Review. Next time, Speer!
Fellowship/Residency:
- Form Rejects: 8
- Encouraging Rejects: 2
- Acceptance: 1
- Still Waiting: 10
I was accepted to the Tin House Summer Workshop in Creative Nonfiction, but without the full scholarship, I can’t afford to go this time. Someday!
Okay, so it would be nice if one of these had come through. But the more rejections that roll in, the less important they seem individually, and the easier it gets to limit the second-guessing and send out again. I'll be sharing more rejections here, along with songs guaranteed to kick the no-pub blues. Here's Ms. Winehouse, still there for us.