5 causes you must intention for 100 literary rejection letters in 2021
It's goal setting season again! Have you already set your writing goals for 2021? Are you planning to send a letter to editors or literary agents this year?
Love them or hate them, the idea of goal setting permeates the entire month of January. And most of these goals are "positive". From physical appearance to self-care to organizing your pantry, it's all about making your own life better.
And most of those targets land in the dumpster before the end of the month.
I have a new approach for you: set a goal to receive (and overcome) one hundred literary rejection letters by 2021.
Read on for my very in-depth reflections on the subject.
Set a goal to get 100 literary rejection letters this year
(I'm talking about writing rejections in this post, but if you wanted to apply this to your dating life, it would probably work too.)
I want you to commit now (and say so in the comments!) To strive to receive a hundred book refusals this year. Those who refuse count. Agents, editors, publishers, other writers reading your book.
What if you write a poem for your crush and they refuse? That counts.
Writers who reject the manuscript you have been writing for months or years? Definitely counts.
Short story publications that unfortunately throw your beautiful short film back on your door? Counts!
One. Hundred. Rejections.
You with me?
Don't let this goal squirm you. Much good will come of it.
And if you're still not convinced, here are five reasons why I think this must be a writing goal.
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Set a goal for your writing this year. Do you need an idea? Try this goal: Have your letter rejected – yes, rejected – 100 times.
1. Denials are not mistakes
Yeah, getting rejections sucks. We have a lot of posts on how to calm your ego after getting one. (See here, here or here.)
I'm not here to tell you to suck it up. It hurts to get a literary rejection letter. I know. I've been there literally hundreds of times. (It gets easier. Most of the time.)
But here's the thing: Getting rejected means getting your writing out there.
It means you tried.
It means you kept trying.
And it means you can write better because you spend enough time completing projects. You are able to receive feedback and criticism.
If you put your writing out there it's courage
Being rejected is a sign of bravery and resilience.
It is not a sign of failure.
It is a mark of completion.
2. You will likely get more acceptance
There's a simple reason to start collecting rejections like they're going out of style:
Trying to get so many rejections means there has to be some acceptances there too.
It really is that simple. If you aim for a hundred rejections, you are likely to get far more acceptances than usual.
In the first year when I tried a hundred rejections, I didn't achieve my goal.
Why? In the end, I had over twenty acceptances. Compared to previous years, I had quadrupled my acceptance rate. Quadruple!
I would never have met so many acceptances if I hadn't had my goal of rejection.
My goal of rejection was to allow me to schedule time each week to search for and submit publications. Every week.
In the other years, I set about submitting something as I thought about which, given all the other goals and responsibilities on my plate, wasn't very often.
This is why it became so important to aim for a certain number of literary rejection letters.
I made a commitment to prioritizing my writing and then inevitably increased the likelihood of some letters of admission along with the rejections.
Aiming for a certain number of acceptances, even if it's a small number, can seem overly ambitious, especially when we're talking about something as subjective as writing.
I have no control over what an editor likes. I have control over how many editors see my stories.
And the more eyes I have on my work, the more stories I've published.
3. Rejections are motivation
Do not be angry. write.
Stephen King talks about his rejection certificates being kept in his book on the craft of writing, On Writing. He had a nail in his room and every time he got a rejection letter he speared it on the nail. The increasing number of rejections were a constant motivation to keep writing and submitting.
Yes, it's difficult to see all of these rejections in your inbox. But this "I'll show you" attitude will prevail.
That first year I had a hundred rejections? I also wrote twice as many short stories this year as in previous years.
Partly because I couldn't submit more stories since so many had been accepted!
While collecting literary rejection letters might not sound like a loved one, this pile of letters will be the day you will be accepted.
The only way to get an acceptance letter is to keep writing and submitting your work.
When rejection is used as motivation rather than discouragement, you begin to grow as a writer instead of being prone to giving up your dreams of publishing.
Become the former. Set a goal of 100 literary rejection letters in 2021.
4. Rejections improve your writing
Yes, there are improvements here.
On rare occasions, you will receive a message from the publisher detailing exactly what you think could use improving your story. And if you do, take it seriously! Any feedback from an agent or editor is a huge asset as it means they see potential in your story, even if it's not in a place they're ready to accept.
By sending a personal note, editors and agents not only took the time to help you, but also gave you a hint on how to get published with them later.
In most cases, however, you will receive a letter of rejection. And that's good!
Editors and agents get a lot of sludge. You just don't have enough time to answer everyone. So do your best not to take a literary rejection letter personally. Instead, in this case, look at the types of stories that editors are paying attention to or accept. What do they have in common?
What do the stories have in common that are repeatedly rejected?
Studying the difference and tweaking your work in the acceptance group is an important part of the review process.
How to improve your writing.
5. A rejection target helps your mindset
When you have a goal, you expect to achieve that goal, right? Otherwise the setting is kind of stupid.
When you have a goal of a hundred literary rejection letters, it will be easier for you to take the nasty blow for each one rejection letter.
I'll tell you a secret.
I knew rejection was part of the writing game when I started writing. I was prepared when I got my first. I didn't cry or react negatively in any way. At least I expected it. (Though I still remember the publication and the name of the editor.)
I cried when I got my third rejection.
There are still some rejections that I take tough. Mostly when it's a prestigious release or when I shortlisted it to end up being rejected.
But since I have my rejection target, ninety-nine percent of the time I just write it down and re-send the story.
Since my actual goal is not the X number of releases or awards, the rejections don't seem to matter that much.
And as for the publication mentioned above, the publication and editor are only opened for submissions once a year. I submit every year and get rejected. However, I will be released with them one day. Read my previous points on how letters of rejection are more like letters of admission, and use literary letters of rejection as motivation.
2021 is your year. . . being rejected
I want you to join me in aiming for a hundred literary letters of rejection this year. It may seem scary at first, but I promise it's worth it.
Take the negative word "rejection" and turn it upside down. Do something positive!
Let's do this together.
One hundred rejections, here we come!
Are you afraid of rejection? What can you do to overcome this fear? Let me know in the comments and support your colleagues by replying to their posts.
WORK OUT
Your phone just rang and you can see an email in your inbox. It is from this release that you have been waiting for! You open it and the first words are:
Thank you for sharing your story with us. We are sorry, but …
You are obviously upset. How do you react Are you getting mad Vow never to write a word again? Put it down and try again? Set a timer for five minutes and write about your reaction. Then study what you wrote.
Why did you react like that? What can you do next time to improve your sanity AND your writing career? Why do you want to continue writing despite being rejected? Set a timer for ten minutes and write the answers to these questions. Come back to this piece the next time you want to give up.
Post your good and bad reactions in the comments. And please comment on your colleagues' contributions!
Let's encourage each other!
Sarah Gribble
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