My First Rejection Letter
I have heard Rejection Letters come in many forms but I recently received my first.
It is often said “Teach a man to read and he will be excited and grateful. Teach a man to write and he will become full of self-doubt and depressed.” Such is life. As Writers we can spend many hours working on our stories only to find our work rejected by Publishers. Thankfully I was actually told about my Rejection rather than waiting for months and hearing nothing.
Unfortunately rejection is far more common than acceptance. I guess there can be many reasons: Perhaps the story is not in a niche the Publisher specialises in. Perhaps the Publisher already has a number of stories already lined up for publication and can no longer accept submissions. Or, perhaps more likely in my case, the story is just not up to the standard they require.
I probably need to spend more time on my story developing my plot, making the characters more real and beliveable and, probably my greatest failing, need to get my work checked over by a professional Proof Reder / Editor to point out and correct my myriad of gramatical errors.
It can be difficult being a Writer. I love to write and it is something I am very passionate about. I love to create my own storylines and characters but hate the Grammar Police. I see creating a story as an artform. I love really getting inside the characters in my stories and see the way they interact and be able to share this with my readers. I guess though I need to go through more revisions; firstly the exciting bit of getting a rough draft down on paper then the more boring, but necessary multiple revisions refining the plot, characters and grammer.
I guess I need to continue to diligently study my craft to fulfil my dream and become a Master Wordsmith. In the mean time I can take heart from the many rejection letters received by J. K. Rowling. Maintain my beleif in myself and my abilities and concentrate on honing my skills.
It has been suggested to me that Reedsy is a good place to find and hire a professional Editor but what do you think? It has also been suggested to me that I look through the ads in The Writers & Artists Year Book to find someone (perhaps more affordable) to check over my work. What would you suggest? Are there any Proof Readers or Editors you would recommend?