Publication and Rejection

After a long day of driving and working and then driving some more, this time with hollering, hungry and teething children kicking and screaming in my back seat, I finally returned home to find my contributor's copy of Quality Women's Fiction in my mailbox. And there was much rejoicing. Huzzah.



Or not.

Don't misread me, the magazine is quite lovely. The editorial is wonderful and the stories that share the pages with my own are each fabulous.

No, the or not, refers to how fleeting the sense of accomplishment is. It's the same feeling I dealt with upon the release of the Family Circle issue that featured my story. Sort of an anxiety, a sense of Hmmmm, so what's next?

And then this morning in my inbox were two rejections for two different stories, both from somewhat up-and-coming literary magazines, one still working on its debut issue. And, because I'm a nosey sort of writer who does such things, I had of course found various blogs relating to The Barn Owl Review - which, though it has not accepted my piece, still intrigues me. Having followed along with Mary Biddinger's blog for the past two months or so, I think that the poetry and stories that these editors do select will be solid, good reads.

Through Mary's blog, I also found the blog of one of the fiction editors, who posted about how he had started to send out rejections (um, yes, thank you) but also about how he doesn't feel particularly bad about doing so. I thought about this for a moment, not insulted at all, simply pleased with the honesty, I guess. I don't think it's cold, really.

If I'm being honest with myself, were I in the editorial chair surrounded by a sea of unsolicited submissions, yes, I would probably not feel badly about sending rejections either. Of course, there would be exceptions, if a story really struck a chord with me, but it simply wasn't right for the magazine I was working on, for example.

But ultimately, a rejection is such a small thing, in many cases a matter of a piece not fitting exactly right, like a puzzle, why spend time fretting about either giving or receiving them? Most editors are writer's themselves, each with their own history of rejection, so it's not as though they're unappreciative of the efforts of their would-be authors. And to be at least read and appreciated as a person willing to put their work out there, I suppose is good enough.

Well, not as good as a pat on the back and a Yes! Please, and send us more. But enough to keep one motivated to continue to find the space where her story is designed to shine.

(As I write this, my son is sitting at the kitchen table piecing together puzzles of his own, every so often calling out a triumphant "I did it!" - which is perhaps some of the best encouragement I can have as a writer, seeing my children working away at things until they master them.)

I came across this article yesterday by Jodi Picoult, about the trials of writing and publishing. It's not news. We've all heard the stories of various now famous authors who once collected their own stacks of rejection letters. Still it was reassuring, if for no other reason than because it serves as a reminder that this struggle to become an author is nearly equal parts talent and perseverance. And perhaps I'll luck-out and far more talented writers than I will fall to the wayside, unwilling to slog through stacks of rejections, thus paving the way for the likes of me. A woman on a mission.

And speaking of missions and challenges and such things - I'm doing well. Not writing daily though, due to obligations to my children and family and work - but when I am writing, it is hard and intense and for greater lengths. I'd say I'm at about 20,000 words, perhaps 25, I'll need to do an actual count.