Rejection, rejection, rejection

It's hard to write something, to create a story in your imagination and then put it to paper. But that is not the hardest part of being a writer. The hardest part is the rejection.

"Thank you for your interest, but this project is not for us."

"Thanks for thinking of us, but we do not publish novellas."

"We are not accepting first time authors at this time."

Some rejections are better than others. Some offer a bit of hope, a constructive critique. Most do not. And even those that are constructive are not pleasant. It is like giving birth, only to have the nurse say, "Damn! That is one ugly baby!" Ouch!

It's those times that I have to remind myself why I write. To get published? No. I write because I have to. Short stories, poems, songs, little plays, and now a novella. The stories have to come out.

I had the pleasure of hearing the Christian singer/songwriter Chris Tomlin speak at a conference. He said the biggest question he gets from other songwriters is "why do some songs get sung and others don't?" Chris' answer: "I don't know." Because the songs that are getting sung are not necessarily any better than those that don't. It's just that God raises some songs up, for whatever His purposes are, and not others.

Recognition is great, but the goal of creative people should be to create. So if you are a writer, don't be discouraged. (And for God's sake, don't keep a scrapbook of your rejection letters!) Just write.