by Bruno Somerset

Created on: March 06, 2007   Last Updated: July 18, 2010

The first thing you are taught when learning to juggle is "the drop." Throw the ball into the air and let it hit the floor. You need to get used to this because it will happen a lot. The same holds true for writers and rejection. It is not a question of if you will face rejection as a writer; you will, in the form of letters, reviews, and even comments from your friends. The question is how you will handle the rejection.

There are two main ways for writer to handle rejection: keep writing or quit. Those are the only options, because rejection will come as surely as death and taxes, and much more often. Assuming that you're not going to quit, and I hope that no writer with any talent ever does, there are some ways to make rejection work in your favor.

First, realize that it's not personal. This doesn't make it sting any less, no matter how often it comes. We invest a huge amount of ourselves in our writing, and the idea that criticism in any form is not a personal attack is sometimes hard to wrap our minds around.

But just because it isn't a judgment of you as a person doesn't mean that there aren't things you need to work on. Use all constructive criticism to improve your writing. I say constructive, because often the rejection will come in a form letter. You can typically gain nothing of value from a form letter. I have a stack of them tacked to the wall above my desk for inspiration, but beyond that they're not good for anything. When your novel finally becomes a best seller, you can look back on these letters and laugh.

If you write for online publications or blogs that allow feedback, you will need to cull through what's beneficial and what's not. Sometimes negative feedback can be more helpful than positive. You can do a lot more with "the character seemed one dimensional and the dialogue was wooden" than you can with "good stuff!"

You also will want to look for trends in the comments. One person saying that your plot lacks cohesion is one person's opinion. If 15 people tell you that you're writing too much in the passive voice, it's definitely time to take notice. Carefully consider all editorial comments and make changes that you feel will improve your writing.

Criticism of your work in writing classes and seminars is different from rejection letters, but should also be heeded. Get all the feedback you can, especially if someone who has successfully published runs the class or workshop. In this case, it's almost more useful to actively seek constructive criticism.

So don't let the form letters get you down, even the ones that are addressed to "Dear Author" and even when you know they never even read your query letter. The main thing is to keep writing, and know that rejection letters are temporary. Publication is forever.

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