It’s a cliche because it’s true. The list of now-successful writers and their rejections is endless. Google it. Regardless of genre, they have at least one thing in common and that’s old-fashioned stick-to-itiveness. (It’s a word! Fight us!) They simply don’t give up. One of our favorite responses to a writer on the subject of rejection is from an old Neil Gaiman Tumblr post:
It does help, to be a writer, to have the sort of crazed ego that doesn’t allow for failure. The best reaction to a rejection slip is a sort of wild-eyed madness, an evil grin, and sitting yourself in front of the keyboard muttering “Okay, you bastards. Try rejecting this!” and then writing something so unbelievably brilliant that all other writers will disembowel themselves with their pens upon reading it, because there’s nothing left to write. Because the rejection slips will arrive. And, if the books are published, then you can pretty much guarantee that bad reviews will be as well. And you’ll need to learn how to shrug and keep going. Or you stop, and get a real job.
So, keep the faith. Write on. In the meantime, please send us your favorite and least favorite rejections with some thoughts about what you love or hate about them. And don’t worry, we’re not here to out anyone for their less than stellar behavior. All names of people and organizations will be redacted.