Rejection, Critique & Writing Groups

I can recognise a SSAE of mine immediately by the way I affix the address label to the envelope, so there is always a moment of trepidation when I open one of my own letters.

Will it be a letter from an editor who liked the story I submitted? Perhaps it is an offer to publish. Is someone congratulating me on having won a place in a competition? Alas, all too frequently it is a rejection notice. A fate all writers experience from time to time.

I remember the very first one I received. I went into freefall. My masterpiece was a failure. I was a failure. How could anyone reject the story I poured my heart and soul into? Over a number of days I read and reread the judge’s comments many times before finally scrunching said piece into a ball and throwing it in the direction of my dog. He would and did treat it with the scorn it deserved, and I took pleasure in watching it meet an inglorious death.

I still receive an occasional, read too often, rejection notice. In entering competitions, a writer learns of his/her success by way of a report showing the names of successful placegetters. Not seeing my name among those who experience the triumph of high achievement does not worry me, but I do puzzle over a full page report that lumps together 100 plus entries with the same all encompassing comments.

 I no longer add extra money to my entry fee for a personal appraisal of my submission because all too often the person making the assessment has no qualification for doing so. They choose a story according to personal preference rather than marking a tale on its own merits.

Don’t be fooled by post-nominal letters after a person’s name. This impressive list, B.A Hons., Dip., Ma followed the name of a judge who admitted to becoming confused between a tale I once wrote and another of no connection. If that wasn’t bad enough, the person then criticised my characters for their stilted language. This was despite the fact that neither of my two protagonists had ever spent a single day in a schoolroom and were meant to speak badly. One would have thought the worthy judge might have understood why the dialogue was stilted.

If you are a writer, particularly a newbie or an emerging writer or perhaps a non-writer desiring to become one, then join a writer’s group. Your desire to be better at your chosen craft will be realised quicker if you listen to what your colleagues have to say about your work. They won’t always be right, and you don’t have to follow their advice, but their opinions will be invaluable and you will reach your goal faster by being a member – and the next time you get a rejection slip you’ll have a whole army of shoulders to cry on.

Remember you have to be a writer to get a rejection slip.

Frank Ince 29 May 2012