Remember the celebration I threw for myself a couple of weeks ago? You know, the one where I told you about my recent successes on the writing front? Well, it didn’t take long for that run of good luck to come to a screeching halt. Today I’m keeping it real and fessing up to the other side of a writer’s life — rejection.
In the 2 1/2 weeks since I announced my good news, two rejections have torpedoed me back to reality — and they’ve arrived in record time, I might add. Those of you who are my Facebook friends might have caught the rejection report about the piece I submitted to a back page column of a major women’s magazine. That one came back so fast the mailman had to run to keep up with it. Given the fact the magazine guidelines required snail mail and it had to go to New York and back, I seriously don’t know how it had time to make it to an editor’s desk. Shoot, I think it got rejected in the mail room.
Don’t worry about me, though. I know rejection goes with a writer’s territory and am well experienced with it, in fact. I’m not getting down — not yet anyway. However, if rejections keep arriving at the rate of one per week, I can’t guarantee how long my positive attitude will last :)
Writers must put on perseverance every day. It’s a basic part of a writer’s wardrobe. It ranks right up there with hard work and a teachable spirit. I wouldn’t want to venture out without the vital accessory of encouragement, either. I certainly appreciated the mini pep rally several of you gave me via Facebook when you read my rejection status report. Encouragement is the sweetest medicine I know.
Who else needs the encouragement to persevere today? Let me be the first to offer it. After all, perseverance works. Without it, I could never have had that little celebration a couple of weeks ago. Without it, this blog post would never have been written. Remember, the Lord gives us the strength to persevere. How about it? Let’s press on together!
“You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.” Hebrews 10:36
*Flickr photo by footage, Creative Commons License
Dang, Cheryl…rough week! You made me laugh with the image of the running mailman! But as you say, rejection comes along with the honor of writing. I’m sure that same mailman will be running back to your place soon…with good news!
I appreciate you keeping it real. God’s timing is perfect and He is always at work…even when things seem to be working against us.
Blessings to you!
Oh how I giggled at your description of the “rapid” rejection. Don’t we always laugh at things we can relate to? I certainly do.
You are a wonderful writer and always point your reader to God. Keep it up and never quit. Blessings to you dear sister in Christ.
I await the day you post the praise report your work is being published. I will say I knew her when…
Thanks for this Cheryl. Who of us hasn’t known the “pain” friend? We won’t know it if we don’t try. I’d rather be found trying rather than simply sitting by, waiting for a contract to drop.
Keep to it. You’re a great inspiration.
peace~elaine
Sorry about the bad news –thank you for sharing both good news and bad! I admire your blog very much because it is very refreshing.