Don't Be Dejected about Being Rejected

This past spring, I had the honor of being published in our school's literary and art journal, Ivy Leaves (http://www.andersonuniversity.edu/auvisualarts/ivyleaves/html2/index.html). I was ecstatic, partly because was desperate to check it off of my "Bucket List" for college, and partly because I had tried and failed before to publish something in Ivy Leaves. The sting of that first rejection haunted me, and I almost didn't try again. Thank God for my suitemates, who encouraged me to send something in!

Honestly though, this post is not about getting published, it is about getting rejected, because sometimes, you learn a lot more from failure than from victory.

I've mentioned before the poet who visited our campus this spring (http://jessegraves.weebly.com/). Jesse Graves inspired me in a lot of ways, but one of the most encouraging things he said was about his failures. "I'll send poems to journals," he said. "And 80% of the time, they get rejected." But that doesn't keep him from trying. He's now published two books of poetry, but that would never have happened if he had given up after his first rejection.

Kathryn Stockett (the author who wrote the award winning novel, The Help) was rejected by 60 publishers before her novel was finally published. As she says in an article: "In the end, I received 60 rejections for The Help. But letter number 61 was the one that accepted me. What if I had given up at 15? Or 40? Or even 60?" (http://www.more.com/kathryn-stockett-help-best-seller)

As disappointed as I was when I got the rejection email from Ivy Leaves last year, I am now grateful that I received it. Why? Because it taught me strive harder. When something is accepted, it seems finished. The publishers liked it, right? So why change anything? It is often failure that gives the motivation to try harder, dig deeper, write more richly.

Ultimately, it is the "try and try again" mentality of authors that usually leads to their success. Rarely does an author's first (or second, or third) work rocket them into fame. A few stars are born overnight, but for most of us, it is the slow plodding of a thousand late nights, large cups of coffee, and endless rejection letters.

I plan on sending some of my poetry to a few journals this summer. I'll probably get rejected, but you know what? I can be OK with that. I think I may start a Rejection Letter collection, it could be an interesting pastime.....

Remember, every "next time" could be THE time.... so don't give up trying!

Writing in Community

This past semester was the first time that I participated in a writing workshop. As a literature major, I don't take many creative writing classes, but I was blessed this year to take two: poetry workshop and creative nonfiction workshop. I loved both! I had excellent teachers, and the peer critiques of my fellow classmates opened my eyes to things I did well, and things I should avoid. 

Before this semester, I had never taken myself seriously as a writer. Since I was a child, I have written many stories, but they were mainly for myself, with no outside audience intended. However, after taking creative writing classes, I have realized two things: I do have a story to tell (that other people might actually be interested in), and I am learning the tools necessary to tell it. 

Another thing that greatly encouraged me to continue writing was a visit from a poet. Jesse Graves teaches English at East Tennessee, and writes poetry on the side. He has already has two excellent books of poetry published. His connection with our university is Dr. Randall Wilhelm, an English teacher here who knew him at school. 

Jesse Graves spoke to my poetry class, as well as to a group of students later that night. He read some of his poetry, gave us tips, and really affirmed what we were doing; English Majors need that, because we don't choose this major for the money, we choose it because it is something we love. Because of this, it can be discouraging or overwhelming when we think about balancing our passion and our careers. 

The most important thing that I learned from Jesse Graves, was the value of writing in community. He said that his biggest motivator is his fellow writers. This struck me very forcibly, because it is something that I have also been discovering over the past few months. Living with two English majors has immensely helped my work, and having the workshop classroom experience has aided me greatly as well.

Community is essential for English Majors, mainly because of the necessity of encouragement, support, and accountability that a community provides. Until my sophomore spring, I did not really know the English Majors in my year. When I started to form that community with them, I saw my love for the subject skyrocket. It is a wonderful thing to talk to people who are passionate about the same thing as you are! 

So my challenge to you is this: whether you are a writer or not, find community. Find a group of people who love the same things you do. They will help encourage you when you get down, or feel like quitting. Now go, be passionate! Find friends! Write! Do what you do best!