Dear Writer,
Rejection. Rejection. Rejection.
Sincerely,
the Publishing Empire
If you're a writer working toward publication, it's pretty much guaranteed you're racking up tons of rejections from agents and editors. It's especially hard to persist when you have nothing publicly to show for all of your hard hours (years!) of work. The first draft of The Art of Holding On and Letting Go was written in 2004-2005, and I lost track of how many times I rewrote the story in the following years. I finally received a publishing contract ten years later, in 2015. Here's my happy day, contract signing photo!
Some of my other manuscripts still aren't published, some will never be published, but they all helped me grow into a better writer. Here's an exercise to help rekindle your confidence when you question your path..
Some of my other manuscripts still aren't published, some will never be published, but they all helped me grow into a better writer. Here's an exercise to help rekindle your confidence when you question your path..
Rejection Remix
I learned this exercise from an author friend, Patrick Flores-Scott, who accidentally created it as a way to cope during his years of rejections.
Patrick had an agent, but his manuscript wasn't selling to editors. He knew he needed to keep writing, but the rejections were wrecking havoc on his confidence. On a whim, he cut and pasted all the helpful, encouraging, positive sentences that were buried in his rejection letters into a single new letter praising the genius of his novel. He explains the process much better himself, and you can read about it here: https://scbwimithemitten.blogspot.com/2018/09/rejection-remix-by-patrick-flores-scott.html
Patrick's Rejection Remix made me curious about my own rejection letters. I had set aside The Art of Holding On and Letting Go many times over the years, but something kept pulling me back. Many agents and editors had taken the time to praise my writing and the story; some had even asked me to revise. I analyzed their feedback and revised and resubmitted, but ultimately the answer was always no. Year after year after year.
I followed Patrick's steps and cut and pasted the gems from all of those letters into a single new letter. Behold! What a song of praise! In my heart, I believed in this story, and I knew that readers would embrace it, but wow - seeing all of that love together in one letter gave me a big boost of confidence. Thank you to all the agents and editors who took the time to point out the strengths in my writing, as well as the areas to improve. Here's the letter that pulls together all of that encouragement:
Dear Kristin,
Thank you for sending your delightful novel with the fabulous title, The Art of Holding On and Letting Go. The title definitely got my attention and made me want to drop everything and read the manuscript. I can't even begin to tell you how much I like it! I am impressed. I found the story and the characters completely captivating. The writing is solid, and I really like having a girl rock climber as the protagonist. I found the premise of the story compelling and unique; it’s original, but also a sport that seems to be increasing in popularity.
The protagonist, Cara, is built up beautifully and gradually as a strong female character who demonstrates great courage in the face of adversity. She is empathetic and likeable, and I was fully engaged throughout the story rooting for her happiness. The inclusion of climbing functions well as a demonstration of Cara’s tenacity, flexibility and literal and figurative balance, and appears to be unique in the world of young adult fiction. Cara’s voice is both believably young and admirably strong and introspective. Other characters emerge as distinct and believable voices, and readers immediately become attached to them as they open themselves to Cara.
The parallels between living and climbing were nicely handled and I very much enjoyed her new group of friends – they were such a mixture – not at all clichéd or stereotyped, much richer than that. The “learning to drive” sections were charming – it was a pleasure to have an author introduce adult characters who are not in positions of authority at home or at school.
Your novel starts out with enormous tension and gripping action, the layered plot is well-structured and kept me glued to the page. You’re clearly a master of building suspense with transitional language at the end of chapters—chapter 11, in particular, ends with a spectacular cliff-hanger.
There's some good, smooth prose in these pages - in fact, the quality of writing is far superior to most of the material that crosses my desk. The characters are clearly portrayed, scenes are well constructed, and the dialogue convincing and engaging. All of these demonstrate a strong grasp of craft. Coincidentally, I was a rock climber for many years in my youth and your descriptions brought the thrill of the sport back to me vividly.
I loved this book. It’s a terrific story, both original and a pleasure to read. It is clear to me that you are a very strong and talented writer. I have high hopes for this manuscript, and your future career.
Sincerely,
Your dream editor
Patrick had an agent, but his manuscript wasn't selling to editors. He knew he needed to keep writing, but the rejections were wrecking havoc on his confidence. On a whim, he cut and pasted all the helpful, encouraging, positive sentences that were buried in his rejection letters into a single new letter praising the genius of his novel. He explains the process much better himself, and you can read about it here: https://scbwimithemitten.blogspot.com/2018/09/rejection-remix-by-patrick-flores-scott.html
Patrick's Rejection Remix made me curious about my own rejection letters. I had set aside The Art of Holding On and Letting Go many times over the years, but something kept pulling me back. Many agents and editors had taken the time to praise my writing and the story; some had even asked me to revise. I analyzed their feedback and revised and resubmitted, but ultimately the answer was always no. Year after year after year.
I followed Patrick's steps and cut and pasted the gems from all of those letters into a single new letter. Behold! What a song of praise! In my heart, I believed in this story, and I knew that readers would embrace it, but wow - seeing all of that love together in one letter gave me a big boost of confidence. Thank you to all the agents and editors who took the time to point out the strengths in my writing, as well as the areas to improve. Here's the letter that pulls together all of that encouragement:
Dear Kristin,
Thank you for sending your delightful novel with the fabulous title, The Art of Holding On and Letting Go. The title definitely got my attention and made me want to drop everything and read the manuscript. I can't even begin to tell you how much I like it! I am impressed. I found the story and the characters completely captivating. The writing is solid, and I really like having a girl rock climber as the protagonist. I found the premise of the story compelling and unique; it’s original, but also a sport that seems to be increasing in popularity.
The protagonist, Cara, is built up beautifully and gradually as a strong female character who demonstrates great courage in the face of adversity. She is empathetic and likeable, and I was fully engaged throughout the story rooting for her happiness. The inclusion of climbing functions well as a demonstration of Cara’s tenacity, flexibility and literal and figurative balance, and appears to be unique in the world of young adult fiction. Cara’s voice is both believably young and admirably strong and introspective. Other characters emerge as distinct and believable voices, and readers immediately become attached to them as they open themselves to Cara.
The parallels between living and climbing were nicely handled and I very much enjoyed her new group of friends – they were such a mixture – not at all clichéd or stereotyped, much richer than that. The “learning to drive” sections were charming – it was a pleasure to have an author introduce adult characters who are not in positions of authority at home or at school.
Your novel starts out with enormous tension and gripping action, the layered plot is well-structured and kept me glued to the page. You’re clearly a master of building suspense with transitional language at the end of chapters—chapter 11, in particular, ends with a spectacular cliff-hanger.
There's some good, smooth prose in these pages - in fact, the quality of writing is far superior to most of the material that crosses my desk. The characters are clearly portrayed, scenes are well constructed, and the dialogue convincing and engaging. All of these demonstrate a strong grasp of craft. Coincidentally, I was a rock climber for many years in my youth and your descriptions brought the thrill of the sport back to me vividly.
I loved this book. It’s a terrific story, both original and a pleasure to read. It is clear to me that you are a very strong and talented writer. I have high hopes for this manuscript, and your future career.
Sincerely,
Your dream editor
Remember, that letter above does not exist in real life! Those nuggets of praise were pulled from dozens of rejections letters. If you're not yet receiving "champagne rejection letters," don't despair. Agents and editors are busier than ever, and some have even stopped responding to queries at all. It's terribly frustrating and disappointing, but they can't keep up with the volume of email they receive every week. But you can do the Rejection Remix exercise with feedback from your beta readers. That's the other essential ingredient in my recipe for persistence - navigating these ups and downs with the help of a supportive group of peers.
I found my critique partners and a supportive community of writers through the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI). If you are writing for children and/or teens (picture books, chapter books, middle grade or young adult novels), SCBWI has many resources for improving your craft, networking with other writers, and finding publishing opportunities.
Here's another inspiring post about rejection and persistence by author Linsdey Lane. I especially love the quote she shares from Goethe: www.thewritingbarn.com/rejecting-rejection-lindsey-lane/
Here are more stories to reassure you and nudge you back to work: https://lithub.com/20-famous-writers-on-being-rejected/
For all kinds of writing and publishing resources, I'm a big fan of Jane Friedman's website.
I'm wishing you the best of luck and waving from the query trenches!
Kristin
I found my critique partners and a supportive community of writers through the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI). If you are writing for children and/or teens (picture books, chapter books, middle grade or young adult novels), SCBWI has many resources for improving your craft, networking with other writers, and finding publishing opportunities.
Here's another inspiring post about rejection and persistence by author Linsdey Lane. I especially love the quote she shares from Goethe: www.thewritingbarn.com/rejecting-rejection-lindsey-lane/
Here are more stories to reassure you and nudge you back to work: https://lithub.com/20-famous-writers-on-being-rejected/
For all kinds of writing and publishing resources, I'm a big fan of Jane Friedman's website.
I'm wishing you the best of luck and waving from the query trenches!
Kristin