The Painful Rejection


"I discovered that rejections are not altogether a bad thing. They teach a writer to rely on his own judgment and to say in his heart of hearts, 'To hell with you'" 
Saul Bellow

The following is not a real rejection letter but only a funny way just to prove a point for those writers who are about to give up after their first rejection, and also to have a good laugh


Dear Bad Writer,

This is the hardest rejection letter I have ever had to write in my long career as an editor. Unfortunately this might come as a shock to you, but “WE” will not be publishing your novel, Crappolas. Here are a few of the reasons why. Not only was it inappropriate, but also absurd, pointless, ridiculous and unsuitable. I don’t usually write any personal rejection letters but in this case I felt it was a must! 

Please take note, you are not welcome to submit any future work to our offices, as if we see your name on an envelope again, we shall set it on fire and also my publishing house is considering legal action against you for wasting our valuable time with your trashy novel.

There is little room for improvement for you. Among the areas needing vast improvement are description, character development, and dialogue. 

And what can I say about the love scenes? You gave me nightmares.

Just find another dream to follow.

Trying to forget
The editor

See, it's possible to get a worse rejection letter than you got!

Scenario: You’ve completed your manuscript and polished it until it’s so shiny you can see your own face in it. You’ve found a publisher that would be PERFECT for your story and you’ve worked up the guts (or had enough glasses of champagne) to hit ‘send’ on your submission. After a nail-biting wait, you’ve heard back from the editor. They love your story (woo hoo!) but it’s not quite ready for publication. They’d like you to have a go at revising the manuscript according to their suggestions.

This scenario is not an uncommon one, believe me. My manuscript for ONLY THE BRAVE TRY BALLET went through three rounds of revisions before I got ‘the call’ and even then they threw a fourth round in for good measure.

Here’s the good news: revisions mean the editor thinks your work is worth his/her time. They don’t do this for everyone, so if you get revisions from an editor it means you’re doing something right.

Bad news: revisions can be scary as all hell. 

My first revision letter was three pages long and it involved me re-writing approximately half of my story. However, in listening to the editor’s advice I was able to better shape my story, clarify the hero and heroine’s conflict and generally make the story better. 

Tackling the revisions, however, can be a very daunting task. Where do you start? How should you approach it? What if you disagree with one of the suggestions?


I’m not an expert, I’m just an author who managed to feel her way through enough revisions to convince an editor to say ‘yes’. So I do have some experience in tackling revisions both from a mental perspective and a process perspective.

Part 1 – Tackling revisions from a mental perspective

There are a couple of things that you should do before actually working on the revisions. 

1.       Get a cup of coffee, tea, vodka (insert your poison of choice here)

2.       Print the letter out and read it

3.       Cry, scream, shout, complain to your husband and/or cat

4.       Rip up the letter

5.       Wait at least three or four days before attempting to look at the letter again

6.       Repeat steps 1-3

7.       Create a plan for tackling the revisions (I’ll cover this off more in part II)

Revisions can mess with your head. But taking the right steps to mentally prepare for revisions is important. My approach allows me time to digest the information and figure out the best way to move forward.

Therefore, my serious top tips for mental preparation are as follows:

1.       Allow yourself some thinking time. As I said, read the letter and then put it away for a few days. In the heat of the moment it might be tempting to dismiss the editor’s suggestions, to take the revisions to mean your work isn’t good enough etc. By taking a few days away from the letter you give your brain time to digest the information fully and to let the emotions clear.

2.       Check your mindset. The editors are very busy and the fact that they’ve taken time out to write you a revision letter means they like what they see – you MUST remember this. Choosing to see the letter as an investment in your writing will help you tackle it more positively. 

3.       Check in with your support network. I am a HUGE believer in the support network. After I got my first letter I read it to my husband. You might want to turn to your critique group, a beta readers, your mum – whoever. But they will see the letter for what it is: a fantastic opportunity.

4.       Look at it with a critical eye. Is there anything which you’re uncomfortable with? Are there any suggestions which you think don’t fit your story or style? You can always raise these with the editor, I’ve done this and while it can be intimidating it’s ultimately what’s best for your story. Just remember, always be polite and professional. 

5.       Set time aside to plan. After you’ve had a little space from the letter and you’re comfortable with the suggestions make some time to sit down and plan how to tackle the revisions. Don’t jump straight back into writing, give yourself at least one writing session’s worth of time to think strategically about how you’re going to make your story better.


In part II I’ll share how I actually go about tackling revisions from a process perspective. In the meantime, if you’ve gotten yourself a revision letter don’t forget to pay yourself on the back. You’re doing great! If you have any tips on how to mentally prepare for revisions please share them in the comments below – I’d love to hear them!

MRWG author, Stefanie London shared this amazing post on her website (which was re-blogged by her publisher Mills & Boon UK), and although many people may have already seen it, we think it is well worth sharing again. 

*Warning - you may need tissues.

View Stefanie's blog here:  http://stefanie-london.com/2014/02/the-support-factor/

If you're after a spicy read, look no further than this new novella by Tamsin Baker. Released 1st March through Escape Publishing.

Blurb:

He needed a job — he never expected to need his boss. 

Thomas's life can be pared down to one principle: Be as successful as possible by being as single-minded as possible. But his commitment to his goal is tested upon returning home to his mansion and finding his gorgeous new gardener in his library. 

Luke is a student, and his new job is perfect: decent income and a place to study that's quiet, peaceful, and stocked with useful resources. The last thing he expects to find there is a stunning man who offers to open up all the doors that Luke has yet to be brave enough to peek behind. 

Thomas is happy to wait for Luke to come to him, but when he does, Thomas has no intention of holding back... 


Buy links:

Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/Busy-Love-novella-Tamsin-Baker-ebook/dp/B00IAFNJUU/ref=sr_1_4?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1393923952&sr=1-4&keywords=tamsin+baker

Escape Publishing
http://www.escapepublishing.com.au/product/9780857991409

When I decided to get serious about ‘writing a book’ I didn’t know where to start or what I was letting myself in for. I thrashed around for a few months trying to soak up writing stuff but finally my head exploded and I raised my eyes to the heavens and screamed ‘help’!

What was I doing? And why was I running from one thing to another without any clear direction? 

Like many people I’m a reader. I’ve read different genres my whole life and feel comfortable with books. I can even remember choice phrases and tidbits. Even my husband loves to say, ‘I’m off to my study and I’m not to be disturbed!’ (Mr Bennett, Pride and Prejudice).

However, writing a book and all that story craft is a whole other pesky thing. After one and a half years, I’ve worked out a blueprint that has clarified my learning process. Hopefully, you can glance over it, take the bits you need and go ‘pfft’ to the rest. I’ve broken the blueprint down into years one and two. 

First Year

Things you can do in the first year to move your writing along:

• Join a critique or writing group
  

This is the most useful thing you can do. The skills learnt in putting your work forward and getting feedback is invaluable. Also, you make great friends.

• Read Lots of How-To-Books and Books in your preferred genre
  

I am a how-to-book tragic. I raided the local library and borrowed every novel writing book they had. (Yes truly). I also downloaded a few onto my kindle but in the end ordered books online because I wanted to keep them in my reference library. My Top 6 Books (so far) are:

                                    1. Goal, Motivation and Conflict – Debra Dixon

                                    2. Any of the Writing Romance/YA for Dummies Books

                                    3. Save the Cat – Blake Snyder

                                    4. The First 50 Pages – Jeff Gerke

                                    5. Elements of Fiction Writing (Conflict and Suspense) –James Scott Bell

                                    6. Novel Shortcuts – Laura Whitcomb

There are a stack of others and from each you may glean a kernal of ‘aha’ moments that will stay with you and push your writing to new levels.

• Do Courses/Workshops
  

There are plenty of courses and workshops available on a multitude of topics. Depending on where you live, the best thing is to google courses in your area. Often there is a writer’s centre in your city or university courses that you can attend. The beauty of these courses is that you can concentrate your learning into a small time frame, meet other writers and target your learning. For example, if you decide you need help on character development, you can choose just that topic.       

• Organise Your Writing Space
  

Until I had a dedicated writing space, I wasn’t dedicated to writing. I faffed around trying to write in poky areas upstairs, downstairs and in my lady’s kitchen. Not until I turned my little used dining room into my writing enclave, did the urge to sit down and type hit with a vengeance. Do make sure you’re comfy as you’ll be sitting for some time. I only write for two hours at a time. Then I go and do something else and come back to it later in the day for another two hour burst.

• Join Romance Writers of Australia and go to the conference if you can
  

This organization offers mentors, advice, newsletters, competitions and judging of your work. There is a huge membership and you are bound to connect with people in your genre which can kickstart all sorts of wonderful writing relationships. The conference is well worth it. Extremely well run and chock full of fabulous workshops. The biggest plus is meeting published authors and getting a feel for the industry. 

YEAR TWO

Things you can do to improve your writing in year two are:

• Study Authors you like and learn from them
  

Study sentence structure, dialogue, pacing and timing. Look at the words and work out why they work. Study how to increase suspense, conflict and emotional intensity. To do this you need to read – a lot.  And study writers’ websites because they often give useful online tips.

• Put your work out for critique in writing groups or Competitions
  

Now this can be scary. Oh yes. But you’ll never know how you’re going if you don’t get any feedback. So be brave. Put your work out there and learn. Also, critiquing someone else’s work is a great way to see what works and what doesn’t. 

• Think about blogging, facebook, a website or other social media
  

None of this is that important to start with, but as you get more experienced and get close to your first submission, you may want to think about your profile. It helps if you are active and seen to be a writer and if you blog consistently, you may build a readership.

• Study the market in your genre.
  

Read the latest best-sellers. Look at bookshop shelves, library shelves and ask advice about what’s selling. Try to stay informed about your genre.

• Write, Write, Write.
  

Ever seen babies learn to walk? They try and try and try and never give up. Every day they practice until one day, TA DA! – they’re walking. It’s persistence that pays off and so it is with writing. You must practice often, every day if possible.

If you can do even half of what I’ve listed, you will be well on your way to improved writing craft. Remember that it is your writing journey. Try not to compare your progress with others and take the time to enjoy each step along the way. After all, that is why we write. For the FUN of it.

One of my favourite sayings is by Robert Collier, the American self-help philosopher.

‘Success is the sum of small efforts – repeated day in and day out.’

I hope this blueprint gives you some ideas on how to tackle your writing adventure. If nothing else, it’s a great checklist to tick off the things you’ve already done. 

Now, I’m off to write in my dining room and I’m not to be disturbed.