Can it be the first Wednesday of the month again? Then it's time for the Insecure Writer's Support Group where writers can let all our insecurities hang out and someone (many someones) will offer suggestions, support, and understanding. A big THANKS to Ninja Captain Alex J. Cavanaugh for starting this group and keeping it going. And to this month's awesome hosts Tina Downey, Elsie, Elizabeth Seckman, and Julie Flanders!
Yesterday, my niece posted this on Facebook:
I’d like to think that I wouldn’t give up no matter what
comes my way. I’ve weathered some pretty good storms—my family’s health, my
own, financial worries, deaths of loved ones, the demise (or so I thought) of
my writing career. I’ve had to make adjustments but, in the end, I came out
okay.
Look at the palm trees. How they weather hurricane winds.
They bend but don’t break.
If we’re writing with the intention of being published, we’re
bound to be rejected. Oh, not us personally—our work. If we don’t get
rejections from editors or agents, reviewers can do the job. That should keep
us from getting too big for our britches (as my grandmother would say). How we
deal with rejection or the rest of life’s curves is more important.
Click here
to find others on the Insecure Writers Support Group Blog Hop. Or go to IWSG on Facebook to see who’s
blogging today.
Off topic: This is “Read an E-Book Week.” Visit my previous post to find out how I’m celebrating.
Amen! Sometimes it just takes awhile to adjust those sails. :) I'm also learning that writing with the sole purpose of getting published isn't worth it. There has to be a deeper reason, something that makes the journey worthwhile regardless of where we end up.
ReplyDeleteGreat post!
Great point, Charity. Enjoying the journey is so important. Thanks for stopping by.
DeleteHow about finding a pair of britches that are just my size?
ReplyDeleteLOL, Kim. Thanks for a good laugh.
DeleteGood post. Loved the part about the writing. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Diane.
DeleteWriting is such a personal thing that rejection is also taken personally. I had a really hard time with my first rejection, but now, almost 2 months later, I realize it was for the best.
ReplyDeleteSure it hurts. We pour our hearts into our work. Sometimes, though, rejection tells us something we need to hear.
DeleteSo true! We must learn to lean into the wind rather than try to fight against it.
ReplyDeleteElsie
AJ's wHooligan in the A-Z Challenge
co-host IWSG
Like that, Elsie. Thanks for stopping by.
DeleteJust what I needed today, Diane. Thank you. Think I'll join this group. Florence suggested it, I'm going to do it!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad, Margo. I think you'll get a lot out of it.
DeleteOh I loved that quote! I might need to print that one out, actually. The other thing about the palm trees is that even when they're being blown by the wind, they're still reaching for the sun :)
ReplyDeleteAJ @ Naturally Sweet
An A-Z Cohost
@ayjaylauer
You are so right, AJ, about reaching for the sun. Thanks for coming by.
DeleteGreat quote.
ReplyDeleteThis was the second blog I've read today about rejection. It must be in the air, plus it seems almost written for me. I'm about the set my sails in the direction of publication and I'll be getting that hefty does of rejection.
Thanks for the post.
Leanne Ross ( readfaced.wordpress.com & @LeanneRossRF )
Good luck with publication. It's not for the faint of heart.
DeleteNice quote. I'd like to add that it should say something about not letting the wind blow you over.
ReplyDeleteYou're right, Patricia.
DeleteAdjust my sails...I need to remember that! Great quote.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Ilima.
DeleteThat reminds me of the old song about the branches bending in the wind (Tanya Tucker song??). I think we always adjust our sails with the wind...it just feels like the wind is a hurricane or always pushing when there really is only a little.
ReplyDeleteWhen we're in the middle of a wind, it can feel like a hurricane. Only when we look back does it seem not so bad.
DeleteGreat post! Very inspiring. We can't let stuff like rejections break us, that's for sure.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Holli.
DeleteHi Diane,
ReplyDeleteGreat post, and thanks for the heads-up reagarding ebook reading week!
Thanks, Elizabeth.
ReplyDeleteLast year round about June onwards, I sent out 8 pieces to different e-zines. By years end I received 8 rejections.
ReplyDeleteI thought... so what??? There'll be another time.
My sails have been adjusted... I WILL KEEP ON going forward... one way or another!
Writer In Transit
Good for you, Michelle. You just haven't found the right home for your articles.
DeletePerseverance and persistence in the face of adversity-- that's what makes a writer. Or a human being, for that matter.
ReplyDeleteYou're right, D. Well said.
Delete