A note from Jane
Last weekend, I attended the annual Writer’s Digest Conference, where I had the pleasure of listening to three inspiring keynote speakers. And they all touched on the importance of overcoming rejection.
One of the speakers, Tiffany D. Jackson, says she took rejection “as a sign from the universe” and was ready to quit. She wisely advised, “The worst thing you can internalize is ‘no’ as the truth.”
Fortunately, she didn’t quit and is now a New York Times bestselling author.
Marlon James said “you have to survive the moment” when you are the only person who believes in your work.
It sounds straightforward, even easy. But it isn’t.
If one imagines a hero’s journey for authors, then your dark night of the soul is probably when no one believes in your work except yourself.
Too many writers’ stories end there. Others keep going, sometimes because of a chance encounter or opportunity that reverses their fortunes.
I haven’t uncovered the secret to solving this problem, other than turning up the volume on your dedication to doing the work. That is the one thing you can control. |
Jane Friedman, an acclaimed writers’ advocate comments about dealing with rejections to your submissions. She says:
