Some Inspiration from Famous Writers

Sometimes the hardest part of the writing process is the rejection. There are hundreds of blogs from agents out there that tell us it's not personal. That we have to develop a thick skin. That it only takes one "Yes." Then we hear of the supposed overnight successes - the Stephanie Mayers and J.K. Rowlings - and we think, "why not us?" Rejection is personal to the author. Even when we know it's not supposed to be. It doesn't matter how many people tell us to buck up. We feel it. What matters is how we ultimately react to it.

Do we let it cripple us? Throw down our proverbial pens? Do we let it eat away at our confidence in our work and our skill? Or do we take a deep breath, feel what we feel, but then move on keeping it all in the proper perspective? What I personally do, if the consolation chocolate hasn't put me into a sugar coma, is I think about some of my favorite authors and the roads they had to take. The list might surprise you a little. Or at least let you know you're not alone.

Richard Bach - "Jonathan Livingston Seagull" was rejected ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY times.

Margaret Mitchell - "Gone with the Wind" was rejected THIRTY EIGHT times.

Jim Butcher - One of my favorites, for his Harry Dresden novels. It took him TWO YEARS to get an agent for "Storm Front," the first Dresden book. Now he's a NY Times bestseller, had a TV show from his novels, and keeps putting out darn entertaining fiction. The guy can write.

J.K. Rowling - we've all heard about it. Welfare mom to billionare in five years. The Cinderella story. But did you know that TWELVE publishing houses rejected "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" before it was picked up? Twelve, people. For one of the best series ever written. Twelve. Are you starting to feel better yet?

And last, my all time favorite author EVER:

Stephen King - In his book "On Writing," Mr. King says "...the nail in my wall would no longer support the weight of rejection slips." He's supposedly said he got more than 200 rejection letters before that first "yes." "Carrie" was turned down THIRTY times. Holy crud, folks - Stephen King. The legend. The prolific, creeptastic author extraordinarre.

I don't know about you, but all of this makes ME feel better. You?

What's playing: "Picky, Picky Head," by the Wailing Souls.

What is this thing?

I'd like to know who decided that writers should have blogs.

Don't get me wrong--I undertand published authors having sites. They post for the fans, promote their books. They say when they're going to a convention, or where they'll be making an appearance. It makes sense. If I'm lucky enough to get a fan base, I'm all over it. What I don't get is unpublished authors with blogs. Read industry articles, though, and everyone is telling us to get one. Build up a following. Get out there. Get noticed.

What are we supposed to talk about? How hard it is to get rejection letters, and how fab it is to get a request for a full? Our writing process? What we're working on? It stumps me, just what to put down.

And really--no offense to fellow writer's with blogs, but there are a million of them, filled with the trials of trying to MAKE IT as a writer. I'm just not sure what I can add to the already jammed internet as far as perspective or wisdom. I'm just a person with a PC and random fantasy worlds living in my head, trying to get out. Oh, and gargoyles. Lots and lots of gargoyles.

I'll do my best to make it interesting. Maybe somewhere along the way, I'll figure it out.

What's playing: "Mercy Street," by Peter Gabriel