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| Sandra Merville Hart |
Someone once told me, "You're not a writer until you've been rejected." Though this author obviously meant to encourage me, it did not remove the sting of a rejection recently received -- the first of many.
If you're a writer, your thoughts likely already traveled back to that first painful rejection. Perhaps the most recent one sprang to mind. Receiving refusals doesn't seem to grow easier.
A seasoned author gave me a bit of advice when I began writing. These words of wisdom probably saved my sanity in the past few years. What was this sage advice? Cast a wide net.
Those weren't her exact words, but that's what it has come to mean to me.
When I first began writing, I wrote a short story, devotion, or an article. After researching for magazines looking for this type of writing on the Internet and my trusty writers guides, I submitted it to one editor at a time. Waiting to hear from that one publisher agonized me. Once the rejection letter arrived, it took weeks to summon the courage to send it to the next name on the list.
My friend encouraged me to submit to several publishers at a time, at least to all who accept simultaneous submissions. There's always a feeling of hope and possibilities when submitting. Once it has been sent, she advised me not to wait idly. Write something else. Revise it. Polish it. Make it the best you know how to do. Whenever that work is ready, send it out after researching potential editors. Then begin the next writing project.
The rejections that come in typically don't hurt as much when other possibilities exist. In the meantime writing skills improve with each task, increasing our chances of publication. It's like the basketball player who practices throwing hoops day after day. Continuous practice adds finesse and polish to already familiar tasks.
Will rejection always hurt? Unfortunately, it probably will. Some have crushed me. Shifting focus to learning to be the best writer you can be may be the key.
If you are continuously applying all you've learned thus far to each new writing project, you will improve. You'll be submitting your best work each time because you're not the same writer as a year ago or even six months ago.
And someday your best will be good enough.
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Cast a wide net and more writing advice by Sandra Merville Hart. Click to Tweet
Write something else. Revise it. Polish it. Make it the best you know how to do. Click to Tweet
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| About the Author |
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| A Stranger On My Land by Sandra Merville Hart |
But her Aunt Lavinia, bitter over what Yankees have done to their land, urges Carrie to allow Adam to die. Carrie refuses, but cannot remove the bullets. Adam's friendship with Jay softens her heart toward him. It's not long until his gratitude and teasing manner spark a friendship between the young couple. Even though Carrie's father fights for the Confederacy in far-off Virginia, her feelings for the handsome young soldier begin to blossom into love.
When Adam's condition worsens, Carrie knows a Union surgeon is needed to save his life. How can she accomplish this and keep her family's hiding place a secret?
