Day 71 of the 365 Days of Blogging

The author, Dane F. Baylis

HAVE I EVER HAD A REJECTION LETTER!?

Does the Ursa Defecate In The Forest?

There are only three types of people I can think of who claim to be writers who should not have received the dreaded REJECTION!

The first are those who, well, CLAIM to be writers. You know them...the ones who are always telling you about their ideas. The sweeping plot lines...The work that's similar to that other work, but different...The one that's really so personal that they haven't been able to decide who should handle it...The actual writing is contingent on one, or all, of the preceding rationalizations and will probably never occur (Strike a pose, you know who you are!).

 

The next are those who are actually working on things but have figured out that this is not a nice world and that the horror stories about the number of times Miller, or Hemingway, or King, or yes, even J.K. Rowling were rejected before finally seeing the light of day are true. So there they are piling up f'ing reams of manuscripts and waiting to make the acquaintance of someone who is the acquaintance of someone who knows someone who might help them place their babies without the pain and mess of the birthing thing. This next comment is not gender specific, grow a pair! There's only one way someone else is going to publish your stuff, you have to risk the hurt. Yup, that's right, rejection hurts...Got it?...Good...Now, get over it! You could be Upton Sinclair, Jacqueline Susann, or Kurt God Damned Vonnegut...If you don't take the same chance the rest of us have then face it,  we're the authors and your just someone who writes...KIND OF!

 

The third bunch are equally cowardly at times...The self-publishers...Now, before the mob grabs the pitchforks and torches and surrounds my grim and ghastly tower (Okay, so it's more like a suburban ranch house) let me clarify. There are those of you out there who have taken the chance and just NOT been able to cop the break you honestly deserve. I'll add to that, there are as many chickenshit's sitting behind editorial desks as any place else. They're not going to answer the bell for anything but a sure thing...Even when they're looking right at it! So there are those AUTHORS who have had to resort to that more round about route to get seen, read, and accepted. But there are a whole lot more of you who should have taken the time and found a community college writing class to invest in...Or at least a dictionary and thesaurus...Maybe even a Strunk and White's...God save us from the people whose friends have lied to them so sweetly..."Of course it's good. I just love the way you describe things. Really, I couldn't put it down." LIARS!

 

Have I ever received rejection notices? Let me show you the BOX! Did it hurt. I'll let you know that as soon as they take the stitches out of my wrists. Can it lead to self-doubt and angst?...Oh yeah, but then so can too much praise too soon (and I can prove that one too!).

The point is, eventually it's going to happen. You are going to submit something and, as soon as it's out of your hands you'll remember every fuzzy passage, each possible usage mistake, or that momentary shift in point of view in a minor character who appears for less than a paragraph. Maybe you're right and, then again, maybe what you've just sent down the pike is the best thing since GATSBY and the recipient is going to ignore the flaws in order to have the privilege of printing the damned thing. But you won't know if you don't try!

 

 

 

Accepting short fiction to 1200 words, poetry to 25 lines, and carefully crafted essays for the Your Work/Your Love page. Nope, still no pay, just glorious exposure! You can send your work to me via e-mail at dbaylis805@gmail.com. Authors retain all rights. You can also follow or subscribe to this blog. There are gadgets for that on the right side of this page. I love the company and it helps with the search engine ranking. Comments, critiques, and questions are always answered in as timely a manner as I can manage between my day job, writing, studies, blah, blah, blah. There's a form at the bottom of the page for your use.

In the meantime, remember...live, love, write.

Dane F. Baylis