First Time Author Examiner
Showing entries for Category: Author
Handling rejection part 1: the anger method
POSTED July 25, 12:42 PM
It's at once the most painful and expected moments in one's writing career. After spending countless hours on your writing, after having your friends and family read it (or at least look it over), you decide to send it off for publication.

And then, six to eight weeks later you receive a letter (if you're lucky) or a slip of paper that informs you in no uncertain terms that your piece doesn't measure up.

I'm not going to pretend that this gets easy. It's never easy to be rejected. Furthermore, it's unlikely that the piece you've had handed back to you was something you believed in. If you didn't, why go through the hassel and heartbreak in the first place?

So rather than offer you empty platitudes, rather than reminding you of the silver lining behind the cloud, I'm going to tell you the truth.

Rejection ticks you off. It makes you want to bite the heads off nails because you're so infuriated that some guy in a cubicle decided your work was unworthy.

And, in its way, this anger can be good. For one thing, it's proof that you really do care about what you're doing. Even if you pretended to be nonchalant in sending your writing for publication, having it rejected could very well prove how much your work means to you.

But more importantly, this anger is fuel that will get you through the hurdles of being rejected again (and possibly again and again and again). Because let's face it, the alternative is crushing depression, which never did anyone any favors. Moping about because you think no one likes your work isn't going to further your career.

Becoming bent on proving everyone wrong by showing them what you're made of, however, can have surprising results. And since you're using this anger in a constructive way, it's not totally bad for you.

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Setting your manuscript free
POSTED July 23, 11:57 AM
This is among the first questions I receive from other first time authors: "When do I know when it's time to start sending my manuscript off for publication? How do I know when it's really finished?" I've met first-timers who have been... Read More
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Working With Editors: A Necessary Evil
POSTED June 30, 12:04 PM
Ok, to be fair, editors as a group are not evil. But their influence can feel oppressive to writers who've just poured their hearts and souls into their work.So first thing to keep in mind when someone has just eviscerated your manuscript is that you... Read More
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So You Think Your Kid Can Write?
POSTED June 24, 11:09 AM
Probably second only to "Have you been published?", the most frequent comment is receive is "My child seems to be interested in making up stories/writing fairytales etc. How do I encourage this?"Well, first thing's first. Talk to... Read More
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Writing Rule #8: The World is Your Oyster
POSTED June 17, 6:23 PM
8.    Write everything. Start with what you’re good at, and what you really enjoy. Learn your medium and hone your abilities. But once you become confident, branch out. Experiment with different formats. Some ideas work better... Read More
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Writing Rule #7: The Writing Cycle
POSTED June 17, 6:09 PM
7.    Writing, like any creative process, is a wheel; in order for it to keep turning, you have to have both intake and outtake. When you’re out of things to say, try reading, listening to music, or watching movies. Don’t... Read More
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Getting Published: Know Your Options
POSTED June 10, 3:48 PM
It's the first question asked when you tell someone you're a writer. "Have you been published?"Because let's face it, the moment you say "no" you get that look that says "Oh, you're not a REAL writer then, you just do it for... Read More
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Hermione Granger Joins Biker Gang
POSTED June 3, 2:23 PM
...Ok, so that never happened. But if it had, imagine how wrong it would feel. Characters know who they are, even though sometimes we're not completely sure, or comfortable with what that means.This is a subject that I imagine most, if not all, authors... Read More
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Elmore Leonard's Rules For Writing: Rules #8-10
POSTED May 29, 3:04 PM
So here are the last three of Elmore Leonard's Rules for Writers. I absolutely promise 100% that this is the last rule-oriented post I'm going to do. I don't relish being told how to do my job, just as I imagine the rest of you don't. But I do find it... Read More
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Elmore Leonard's Rules For Writing: Rules #5-7
POSTED May 28, 5:22 PM
The next three "rules" help keep your writing clean and effective. I'm not a fan of using the word "never" when talking about an artistic craft, because it assumes that there's no possible way to do something.5. Keep your exclamation... Read More
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More Entries (15)

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