No Thank You

A.K.A. The Rejection Letter.

This is a huge milestone and shouldn’t be so feared. Like Kathy wrote, don’t let it be a millstone weighing you down.

Many writers think of a “rejection” letter, as a negative thing. Rejection even sounds negative. So I like to think of them as “no thank you” letters. Well, there is a flip side to every coin, a silver lining in dark clouds.

A rejection is two-fold—besides your manuscript not being published at this time.

First, like the lion in Wizard of Oz, you should get a metal. Do you know what a rejection or no thank you letter means?! You had the courage to send off your baby for someone else to judge its worth. That is huge!

Until you have received your first no thank you letter, you aren’t really a writer. You may write, even write a lot, but until you’ve laid your baby on the alter of worthiness, you just write. I believe a writer writes for others. So send out that manuscript and boldly proclaim yourself as a writer, author, novelist. Proclaim them all.

Second, I whole-heartedly believe that a no thank you letter from an agent or editor is direction from the Lord. He knows where you need to be and when you need to be there. He knows the perfect timing for a particular work to get published to get it into the hands He has planned for it to touch lives. He knows when you are truly ready as well as your manuscript for publication.

You aren’t really being rejected but redirected by the Lord.

So next time you get a no thank you letter, give thanks to the Lord.

On the Trampoline

First of all, let me admit this -- I have never actually jumped on a trampoline. But, I have seen people doing it, and I have heard them talk about it. And, I consider myself to be highly observant and a great listener.

Jumping on a trampoline looks like a lot of work, a lot of excitement, and a whole bunch of pain.

Face it, you have to climb up there and get the momentum going to get the jumping started. And, as your feet leave the surface and you soar up, up in the air, reports are that you feel like you are being propelled into space. And, of course, if you aren't careful, and you hit those nasty metal springs on the edge, or miss the edge at all and hit the ground, well -- you know that hurts. And, even if you do manage to land on that rubber surface, you still need to pump those legs, flex those muscles, and work to get back up in the air again.

So, what does this have to do with writing and the writing journey?

I have talked to a number of writers these last few weeks, and the general consensus is that this writing life is tough. You have to have faith in the calling God has placed on your life to even consider putting pen to paper, in a literal or figurative manner. You have to be able coordinate everything else that is going on in your life to make time and energy to take on just one more thing like writing.

That's like climbing up on this flimsy rubber surface for the very first time. You don't know for sure you are going to like writing. You don't know you are going to be any good. And, you don't know but that everyone is going to end up laughing at you as you make a fool of yourself.

And, once you do get started with the writing process, oh, the ups and downs. Up, up -- you managed to string together three logical sentences. Down, down, your critique group hates it. Up, up -- you're going to a conference. Down, down -- you have so much to learn. Up, up -- you've finished the book. Down, down -- no one is looking for this genre. Up, up -- you send it off. Down, down -- now what?

You get the idea. Every step of this journey is like a trampoline ride. And, what if you miss the mat on the way back down -- you get a rejection? Rejections hurt. They can crush your spirit. They can undermine your faith in your calling, and cause you to question whether you really heard God or not.

So, what to do? Get back up on the trampoline. Learn from your mistakes. What can you do differently so that doesn't happen again? And, if it does happen, how can you learn to fall so you don't get hurt so badly? How do you get over the fear of getting hurt? How do you get past this down time?

You need to start writing. Immediately. Like, right now. Write right now. Start with plotting the book that's been swimming around your head. Do some goal-motivation-conflict charts of your characters. Do some research. Write with a pen -- it stimulates different areas of your brain.

And, spend some time in prayer, some time with the Lord. Ask Him to confirm His calling in your life. Call a friend who supports your writing. Go back and read a good review of your book, an email from someone who read it and said they couldn't put it down.

Yes, this writing life may be like jumping on the trampoline, but here's the important thing about trampoline jumping -- without the downs, there wouldn't be any ups. You need the downs to build the momentum to carry you up, up, up again.

I'm Unbalanced

Yeah, yeah. “Tell us something we don’t know, Evangeline.”

Joking aside, I realized this past week that I’m a glass half empty type of person even though, if you asked me, I’d tell you the opposite.

But when it comes to my writing goals, I buy into the “Don’t get your hopes up and then you won’t be disappointed” philosophy. But the truth is, that mindset never saved me from the sting of disappointment. Neither was it ever particularly necessary. Sure I’ve received rejections and setbacks, but none of them came with devastating words like, “You have cheese for brains,” “Don’t quit your day job,” or “Please don’t ever write again, not even grocery lists.”

We tell our kids the somewhat misleading platitude, “You can achieve your dreams.” But somewhere along the road to adulthood that becomes, “Don’t get your hopes up.” What is wrong with us that we have to go with an all or nothing approach? In writing, in dreaming, in life—balance is key. Notice I did not include eating chocolate on that list.

The next time you’re facing what you perceive as a crucial meeting, phone call, or proposal, save yourself some sweat and lay off the extreme self-talk. I know I need to take my own advice and stop making death sentences out of rejection letters.

Now, I think I’ll go do some positive verbal exercises while listening to When You Wish Upon a Star.

Evangeline is a nice person.

Evangeline is a good writer.

Other people like Evangeline.

Other people like to read Evangeline’s work.

Right now, someone is reading Evangeline’s words and thinking, “Evangeline is a nice person. Evangeline is a good writer. Evangeline has cheese for brains.”

WAIT! How’d that get in there?