Great News and Inspiration

I have an interesting situation. I have great news that I want to share… for the sake of sharing… and that good feeling you get when you do it. But I also realize, the story of my news could serve as inspiration for people who may find themselves in similar situations to where I was just weeks ago. So, while I pat myself on the back I can also… pat your… inspiration center? I guess that would be your brain?

I wrote this piece recently... which I suppose you don’t have to read. Perhaps I’ll give you the gist of it.

I was talking about how difficult it is to make it writing. I focused on my situation (writing fiction, short stories, larger works, etc.) but also I felt it was applicable to many situations. I talked about how nothing is guaranteed, we can’t just expect things to happen because we want them to happen, and we have to keep working hard.

One part that I focused on was how I had been submitting short stories to contests and publications for a while and hadn’t had any success. No wins, no acceptances… a couple “you’ve moved on to the second round” notes… but that’s it. All in all, I had submitted to 64… and was declined/rejected 64 times. Which is tough on the psyche. I ended my piece with hopes of the 65th time being the charm.

It wasn’t.

Nor was the 66th… or the 67th…

But the 68th was! That’s right! I got accepted by a publication and my story will go up at the end of June! I was beyond excited. It’s something I’ve been working incredibly hard for. It’s something I’ve really wanted. And again… getting turned down 67 times… oh boy does that make the 68th one so sweet when it’s an acceptance.

I’d make a comparison to asking a girl out that many times and finally getting a yes… but no… I would’ve wisened up and stopped asking long before 68. Probably before 20. I’d like to say before 10… but if I’m relating this to how I was back in high school… not great at taking hints… I’ll leave it at… definitely before 20. Probably.

But persistence in writing is far different from persistence in asking someone out that you’re interested in. You have to be hard-headed. You have to not take hints. You must ignore the hints. When you get rejected 20 times you’re thinking, “Damn that’s kind of a lot, no?” 30 rejections and you’re feeling sorry for yourself. 40 rejections and you’re wondering if you should give up. 50 rejections is kind of a fun milestone. You might celebrate your 50th with rejection with some gold earrings. 60 rejections and you’re starting to tell yourself you’ll never write again, not even a little blurb in the birthday card where you add your own two-sentence flair. No. You’ll hardly even sign your name. Writing and you are done.

That’s what you’re thinking anyway. But you have to dispel those notions if you really want it. Because if you really want to achieve this goal then you have to do everything you need to in order to achieve it. If you really want it, no amount of rejection can deter you. You have to understand rejection is all part of it. You have to learn from it and move on. As tough as it can be.

I give all this advice knowing I am no seasoned vet. There are plenty of writers with much more success and much better advice to offer than me. But having been in this unique situation which I just got out of… I hope my words may be able to help people in similar situations. I also say all this… also having been in the situation of being overwhelmed by all the rejection. Feeling badly for myself. But how many other people are in the same boat that I was in? A lot. It’s no different. You have to persevere.

Funny enough, I wrote that piece 64 rejections in, and attempt number 68 and I was finally accepted. It happened just after I wrote that, essentially. So I was right. I did just need to keep trying. I was so close to success. Imagine if I had given up? The finish line just around the corner up ahead?

Because I was feeling badly after that 64th rejection. That one in particular I felt good about. I felt strongly about it. I thought I had a chance and I was declined. My instant reaction was sadness and feeling badly for myself. That could’ve gone differently. But then I wrote that piece… just to get my feelings out… let myself work through it… and really I wrote it as a note to myself as to why I had to keep trying. It did help me and I kept going.

And there lies… no, not the rub… the inspiration. Shortly after, I was accepted. Now, that doesn’t mean it will go exactly the same for you, but it could go quite similarly! Meaning, you’ll likely get rejected a lot if you’re pursuing writing, or anything else similar. A lot. A lot a lot! Maybe 60+ rejections, you know? You never know when you may get accepted or accomplish any goal so you just have to keep at it. The other thing I realized, and it may be pretty obvious to you, it’s the only way to get accepted. To keep trying. You may have small chances. But if you don’t try at all… you’ll have no chances. And what is it really doing to you when you get rejected? Is it physically hurting you? Is it chipping away at your life? No. It doesn’t hurt to attempt (accept it mentally hurts) and it’s the only way you have a chance.

And in my case, I just had to keep trying and not let myself get down, and finally… got accepted somewhere. It can go the same way for you. Don’t feel bad if you get turned down repeatedly. All of us writers are experiencing that. Just keep going. It’ll be a bummer now but once you do get accepted you’ll realize it was so worth it!

One last note on this. Something I have realized over the years. All this writing, all this work, all this submitting and rejection… it has truly helped me grow as a writer. For instance, the three times I had moved on to a second round of a competition or for consideration to a publication, that told me right there that I had a good story. Even if they didn’t get picked, I would look at those stories and pinpoint how they were different from my other works. What made them better? What made them stand out? Additionally, posting your stories anywhere and getting feedback from readers and writers alike, that helps you too.

The comments given to you on your stories detailing certain areas readers liked, that is good to know. You may start to notice common threads. A lot of people may be commenting on a certain style you implement and you may realize that you excel with that style. It could be something to incorporate more often. If you ever get constructive criticism in your comments or from publishers… some of them do provide that from time to time… listen. Or, well, I guess… read. But you get what I’m saying. Don’t dismiss it! You will often receive excellent notes about what you do well and what you do poorly. It’s not an insult. If you lack strength in a certain area, you may need someone to tell you so you can either A) avoid it or B) strengthen it. Hit the Writer’s Gym! Work on that Metaphor Press and get major gainz on your metaphorceps, bro! … Or some other metaphor…

And lastly, you will just grow as a writer the more you write. The more you do it, the more your writing profits from the experience. It’s almost like… your worst writing may be stuck up at the top of your brain… and you have to unload it before you can dig down to the precious gems. What’s on the surface of the earth? Dirt. What do people mine into the dirt for? For precious gems, baby! If you have to sift through a lot of dirt (not useless dirt, by the way, it lays the groundwork for much creation) just to get to something valuable and beautiful, it’s worth it.

What do you think? The mining metaphor was better than my gym metaphor? Yeah, me too. See? I had to dig around to find a good one in there.

Anyhoo (not anywho? I’ll never understand this one) it only helps you to keep writing. It only hurts you to stop writing. You just have to keep at it. If you need to take a break, that’s fine. Just don’t take too long of a break. You got to get back to mining. I’m glad I didn’t stop.

With that said, my great news is that I am extremely excited to be published in Sci-Fi Shorts. My story will be getting published on June 30th! This is a fantastic publication. All their stories are under 1,000 words… so typically everything is a 4-5 minute read. So, if you’re interested, please come check it out!

Thank you and don’t forget to keep trying!

**************

If you enjoyed this story and want to read more of my work, then please come check out my website where I post all my latest work, plus you can even subscribe for updates!