I had a revelation recently, perhaps as a result of all this isolation we’re all experiencing right now – rejection is a lonely thing.
Rejection makes you feel like you’re not good enough, like you’re the only one not qualified to join in on some amazing journey that everyone else is setting off on. You stand there and see everyone else who had been accepted, approved, everyone else moving on, and you’re still at the starting point. It’s a feeling that has its own gravity, pulling you down until you think you’re knee-deep in mud, unable to move forward.
In shopping my novel, Headspace, out to agents, I’ve been receiving my fair share of rejections in the last few weeks. My record was one day – an agent actually responded next day to say no, nearly unheard of in the industry. How’s that for a speedy response?
That first rejection hurt. I expected it to. There was no surprise there.
What surprised me was that the second one didn’t. And neither did the third, fourth, fifth, and however many I’m still due to receive.
Because you see, rejections is progress. This is something I have learned and something you will learn in your journey, too. I used to think the hardest thing about becoming an author was writing the book, and that progress is only measured by words written. But rejection teaches you something different – resilience, having faith, moving on and over your obstacles. With every rejection receive, you are a little tougher and a little more brave. You learn what it takes to chase your dream and that you are, in fact, courageous enough to do it.
And you are not alone. Far from it. Ask any published writer and they’ll tell you about the dozens, if not hundreds of rejections they’ve received. Don’t compare your step two to someone else’s step two hundred. And more importantly – don’t let rejection be your enemy, let it be a stepping stone. We are all paving our paths, one rejection at a time.
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