How Many Rejections?

This was a fun cosmic coincidence. I had just recently hit my "writing anniversary" of three years since the first time I had been published. Of course, I had been trying to get published for a while before that, and I had been entering all sorts of contests as well. All in all, submitting to publications and contests has basically been going on for the last 5 years of my life.

I just got my 500th rejection.

Hold, please. There are details.

I've actually been rejected 519 times, but 19 times it wasn't a straight rejection. Also, I use the word rejection and it's a bit harsh, but whatever, it's ultimately a No. 19 times I was shortlisted or moved on to another round first, and then got the No. That always feels like a little win. But the other 500 times... straight No.

I actually love it because it shows I'm working towards my goal. I'll never get there without wading through the lake of rejection first. I'm also largely OK with it because I've also gotten a Yes 19 times.

So, this is why it feels fun to me. 5 Years, 500 Nos, 19 Almosts, 19 Yesses.

It's obviously not an exact science because you obviously have to write something great for people to like it and for them to want to publish it, but it feels a little like you have to acquire many "turn downs" to get the acceptances. And at the very least, it helps to keep you motivated and remind you that the acceptances can take a little while to find.

5 years of trying and 538 attempts that reach some sort of finality. How's it break down?

I get turned down roughly 100 times a year. That's roughly once every 3.5 days, or twice a week. Yeouch.

On average, 3.8 times a year I get a Yes, and 3.8 times a year I get an Almost. So, every year, I get about 7 1/2 wins, whether small or big. If I get rejected twice a week, I also get some kind of a win about every other month. (By the way, it doesn't feel like that.)

About 3.5% of the time I submit, I get an Almost. About 3.5% of the time I submit, I get a Yes. About 93% of the time I submit, I get a Straight No.

That puts it into perspective of what it takes. When I look at my 1 competition win and my 18 times published, I feel so accomplished! I love it. I'm truly proud of myself and I'm obviously going to keep going because, without sounding too braggy, I know I'm damn good at this writing thing. And in the span of 5 years of trying, and really all 19 have happened in the last 3 years as those first 2 were ROUGH. But just focusing on the number 19, I'm like, hey, I'm kind of great at this.

And then sometimes I get bogged down with all the rejections. How couldn't I? 93% of the time I get turned down... straight up. And it's an eventual 96.5% of the time I am ultimately turned down. That gets to feel like a lot. But then, this helps me to remind myself, it's all just part of it. It's all just the lake of rejection that I need to wade through. Acceptance is that field on the other side. I'll eventually get there, but I don't have flippers on, so it's going to take some time to move through this water.

I'm only human, after all.