Dear Susanne Brent,
Your application to become an Examiner has been reviewed. Unfortunately, we are unable to bring you aboard at this time. We base our criteria for acceptance on a variety of factors, including, but not limited to, quality of writing and knowledge of topic.
Thank you for your interest in writing for Examiner.com.
Best,
Examiner.com
This is the yucky rejection letter I recently received from a web site. It came via email so I couldn't even tear it up and stomp on it. I've received many rejection letters for my writing since embarking upon my writing career, some nice, some downright insulting, most like this one. They all sting. What horrible, mean person composes rejection letters?
I picture them looking like this:
Or maybe this latest rejection letter of mine (signed Best, how stupid is that) wasn't written by someone who looked like a high school English teacher. This is 2012 and a hip online site that rejected me. The letter was either written by some young girl right out of college with a nose ring and pink hair, or a hip young man with spiky hair and cool tattoos. It doesn't matter. Every rejection letter I received, I've hated the person who wrote it. I know. I'm a hater. What can I say. I have not learned to love, or even like, rejection. Show me someone who likes rejection and I will ask to see the medication they are taking and ask if they will share so I too can be in la la land.
Here is my little rag-taggedy collection of fiction and non fiction I have had published. I've also had many news articles published in both newspapers, magazines and on line. Little newspapers and big newspapers, my name has been out there. You here that examiner.com. People like me.
Okay I'm losing it. Rejection does that to me. Makes me want to yell back. Stomp my feet. Say I'll never play with you again. I become 5 not, well, you know, my age.
I wish I didn't. I wish I was mature. The thing is... I get just as stabbed in my writer's heart by that rejection form letter I received last week as I did when I got my first rejection letter back in 1987 right out of college. It's as if all my other writing achievements fade, and all that I can think is "I suck as a writer". Give up and be a waitress the rest of my life.
Rejection can make writers go a little bit out of out minds. The funny thing, well not that funny, is the topic I applied to write about for this web site, (which I will never read again. I am so petty. I know) was friendship. How dare they say I am not an expert on friendship! I still am friends with a woman I went to grade school with, and we have had many ups and downs but we are still friends. So there you stupid Examiner. In fact, all women my age know plenty about friendship. Just ask us. See....this is what rejection letters can do to a writer. We get hurt and angry and doubt ourselves and whine whine and blah blah blah.
To make myself feel better I started looking for now famous people who were once rejected. Here's one Madonna received. Just knowing she got a rejection letter made me feel better. Hey other people's failures can really cheer us up. Admit it! Here's one written to a well-known writer.
I heard Ursula Le Guin speak a few years ago, now she is a gray-haired woman who has written many novels, essays, short stories, books for children, and won countless awards. She spoke about her writing. Yes. She was still writing even after receiving a rejection letter and has made a very fine career for herself. When I saw her she seemed like a happy gal.Some of you may have read her books which have a science fiction/fantasy slant. This rejection letter said her writing was dry and airless. She didn't take those words to heart and stop writing. She did this:
She jumped over rejection and because she jumped over rejection she now has this:
And so I will pick myself up, dust myself off, and return to my novel. Yes rejection sucks, but giving up sucks even more. So take that examiner.com and it's very unfortunate that you won't have me writing for you. Best to you too! Susanne Brent
11 comments:
I think you would be great at this but I can kind of see where the subject matter wouldn't fit the scope of the publication. Maybe I'm wrong but I see the paper as more of information and not essays on things which is what you shine at. I wouldn't take this as rejection just an invitation to look for another source.
To look at the brighter side I guess a rejection would be better than getting totally ignored. Then if you figured your submission got lost somehow and you sent it again and still was ignored, then that would really be bad. At least rejection means you were noticed and that's a plus.
Lee
A Faraway View
An A to Z Co-host blog
Twitter: @AprilA2Z
#atozchallenge
Aaaw, feels like crap, I know. You have plenty of pluck and talent. Keep at it girlfriend!
Ha ha I like your style! That is exactly how I feel about rejection, but I never let it get me down. Your publisher is out there, you just need to find them. Good luck,and have fun!
Hi Susy,
Love your blog! I checked out that site--very poorly organized--difficult to find anything interesting. You're too good of a writer for them. Really. Rejection isn't fun. Just remember something better will come along and what is meant to be will be. I love and miss you--see you soon, dear friend and great writer. And (Iguess you were talking about me) we have had our ups and downs and always circle back, Thank God:)
@Susan, I enjoyed your story, "I hate rejection". It was very well-written with an interesting slant.
My muse and I got nailed with a rejection a couple weeks ago. It stings . . . . bad. But here's the thing, rejection makes us tougher and more determined. Just because one person doesn't get it doesn't mean there isn't someone who will. The right fit is out there and you will find it! :-)
My muse and I got nailed with a rejection a couple weeks ago. It stings . . . . bad. But here's the thing, rejection makes us tougher and more determined. Just because one person doesn't get it doesn't mean there isn't someone who will. The right fit is out there and you will find it! :-)
Wow, they are so missing out, but that must not be what they are looking for. You are sooooo talented in your writing, a place that caters to more fun, inspirational, romantic ideas is your cup of tea. You have a style that is such fun to read and so relate-able so it's just not the place for you. But the best thing is that you submitted, that's the toughest part of all, you went and did it. And it gave you a great blog post!! Hey, why not do some posts about friendships, that would be cool to read.
You've been tagged with Lucky Seven. See the details here:
http://cbwentworth.wordpress.com/2012/03/13/lucky-seven/
(I know you have a work in progress!!)
Love this post. I submited the 1st page of a WIP to an editor who obsessed over the spelling of a french name. She googled it & 537 times it was spelled as I had it. Seriously? So what?
Post a Comment