by Lindsay Price

Created on: April 27, 2009

How to use Rejection to improve your writing

It happens all the time and is a big part of being a professional writer. Rejection. Depending on how much you submit your work out into the world, will determine the number of rejection letters that return to you. You may receive as many as 100 letters for your one novel, play, screenplay. It can be demoralizing and make you not want to write.

But it doesn't have to. Learn how to use rejection to improve your writing.

Study the letter objectively.

Once the emotional sting of rejection has passed, don't throw away that letter just yet. Study the letter. What can it tell you? Is it a form letter? Is it personal? Did they spell your name correctly? Have they properly referenced your work? Is it overly general? Who's writing to you?

There are all clues to finding out how your work was received, how closely it was read, and how much those doing the rejection care about writers. Keep track of those who send form letters and those who send personal letters. Keep track of those who don't even care enough to spell your name properly.

This is important for two reasons: the more information you have on companies, the more you can hone future submissions. Secondly, the more objectively you can look at a rejection letter, the easier it is to distance yourself from the response. Do you really want to send future work to a company that doesn't bother with a personal letter? How will they treat your work if they accept it?

It's a mean, mean, mean world.

All writers have received the mean rejection letter. This is worse than a form letter. You get a rejection that says you're an awful writer, you should give up, you have no talent. Take a step back. Any person who's purpose is to be cruel, rather than constructive is not worth listening to.

Criticism is important and feedback is a concrete method of moving writing forward. But there are many ways to critique. Get feedback from those you trust, not some strangers who's intention is to bring you down.

The positive in rejection.

There are many more writers than places to put them and there are many more reasons you'll get rejected than the quality of your work. A rejection does not mean you are a bad writer.

If you get rejected but there is an invitation to continue submitting, that's good.

If you get rejected with a form letter, but there is a personal handwritten note on the bottom, that's good.

If you receive a personal letter with both positive comments and critical with an invitation to resubmit, that's very good.

If you're rejected but the letter suggests another company that might be a better fit, that's good.

All these types of rejection mean someone took the time to read and consider your work.

Particularly take note of the positive comments and constructively critical rejection letters. Take these seriously and take their comments seriously. Always follow up with a good rejection letter; a short note or email. It will go a long way in a person's memory the next time you submit.

Take the time to see rejection objectively, and you can turn the sting of being turned down into an action for future submissions.

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