I’ve asked myself this question often, sometimes with a tone of calm curiosity, sometimes with absolute frustration. What I come back to time and time again is this: I just enjoy writing. When I was a kid, this basic fact was complicated by another fact: I was good at writing. With that came well-meaning people — Read More
Category: Rejection
Are you DONE yet?
When people ask, they don’t do so maliciously, but what the writer hears is impatience, criticism, and judgment. The question I’m referring to?: “So, how’s that book coming along?” Whenever I get this inquiry, a slew of AKAs run through my head: – What the hell is taking so long? – Is this the same — Read More
Most-rejected novelist dies
My mom sent me this article, saying she thought I would appreciate it. And I do. Here’s a guy, Dick Wimmer, whose first novel, Irish Wine, was rejected 162 freaking times over 25 freaking years before it was finally published in 1989. He laid claim to being history’s most-rejected novelist, with his closest competitor being — Read More
Dealing with rejection
If you’re a writer who has dared to submit something for publication, then you have dealt with rejection. Unless you’re some lucky bastard, in which case go away. Writers, like most creative people, are sensitive, so it’s a cruel irony that the writing business is so insensitive. It’s like bootcamp for those of us born — Read More
Great expectations
When I graduated from my writing program, I had them — great expectations. I thought, “Okay, I’ve taken all the relevant steps. I’ll submit my work, land an agent, get a book deal, see myself on a shelf at Barnes & Noble.” Done, done, and done. The universe said, “No, no, and no.” Actually, I — Read More
So, you want to be a writer?
On a somewhat regular basis, I take Lorrie Moore’s collection, Self Help, off my shelf and read “How to Become a Writer.” It’s the first line I love: “First, try to be something, anything, else.” This is probably the best advice I’ve ever heard. Yes, perhaps it’s somewhat discouraging, humorously cynical, but that’s what being — Read More
Rejection: Part 1 (of 2,538)
I think it was George Plimpton who said he knew a writer who wallpapered his bathroom with rejection notices. Lord knows I have enough rejection notices to wallpaper my entire 995 sq ft condo. Back in the day, when I used to query like a naive idiot, I got the standard rejections, with the impersonal — Read More