Another rejection

[Jen]

The agent who was seriously considering my book rejected it.

I think I'm just going to quit writing. I'm far too proud to self-publish and everyone says the same thing about my book, which bloody well deserves to get published more than most of what's out there. I don't think there's any use continuing writing if nobody connects with what I write enough to publish it, though.

And no, I really don't want to hear any words of encouragement because, quite honestly, your vote doesn't count in the publishing world. I don't want to hear that I should just keep trying because many, many great authors were rejected multiple times, because I have a hard time believing that, too.

I just don't write about anything anyone relates to or wants to read about.

I don't write chick lit.
I don't have drug use or criminal convictions in my younger years to write about.
I can't write touching crap about mothers' relationships with their children.
And I don't think I'm intelligent enough to write something historically based like Da Vinci Code, even though I've been trying. (Not that Da Vinci Code had decent writing or anything).

Sorry, guys. I'm just venting. But I really do think it's time I give up on my writing. 25 years of wasting my life is long enough, don't you think?

[corley]

:rolleyes: I'm pretty sure you DO want words of encouragement.
Don't quit. This is just the way our world turns. Millions of us are aspiring, few of us are successful. Don't take it so personally.

[sir subaru]

Well there's an IT skills shortage in New Zealand :D

[Jen]

Trust me, if I were smart enough to be an IT person, I'd do it.

Corley, I don't know any other way to take it but personally. Nobody wants to buy what I'm selling.

[gordon]

it's market forces, thats all. and you are trying to create content in a world where EVERYONE creates content. it will only get harder, as well. 150 years ago only a fraction of the world's population could read or write. now 200 000 new blogs start every day.

thank your lucky stars you werent called to be a painter. Wouldnt thank just suck... or a filmaker. the 12 year old across the road has a mac and a camera and the little fucker makes more short films than any of my 'filmmaker' friends.

I'm not saying 'don't give up'. do whatever the damn hell you want. All I'm saying is dont take it personally. Taking market forces personally is like taking interest rates or inflation personally. It's a function of a modern capitalist economy.

or even the new zealand economy. :-)

[Jen]

That first paragraph was about ten times worse than anything Jimmy's ever said to me when I was depressed. Thanks. Strangely it didn't make me feel any worse or better. Yeah, it's the cold talking.

I'm not sure what I'm going to do yet. I may send the queries I've printed out already, but I'm not sure how much more time I'm going to invest in it.

I can probably be reasonably happy looking after Kiwi and doing what I'm doing now for the rest of my life, so I'm failing to see the point in torturing myself anymore.

[gordon]

Look, just keep sending. You seem a little either/or about the whole deal.

I'm in the same boat trying to get various plays, tv series and podcasts into the air. I find it strangely liberating because it separates the act of creation from the 'lust of result'.

And you weren't after consolation, remember? Instead i offer commiserations. From someone else of the repeated rejection train.

[Jen]

Oh, I think that's why I don't feel any different when you gave me the opposite of encouragement, whereas Jimmy always makes me feel even more hopeless.

The reason I'm tired of sending is that I spend at least $5.50 each time I send something and I tend to get back a rejection form that looks like a photocopy of a photocopy of a photocopy of a rejection form that someone stepped on, threw out, fished out of the rubbish and placed crookedly on the photocopy machine.

I don't think most agents are even considering me. Maybe one out of every 30 I query responds intelligently.

[gordon]

It really does hit you where the spirit lives, doesnt it?

I couldnt contemplate pitching for my first year in the country. it just wasnt in me.

times like that... just write something new. and something small: one act play, short story.

you guys are still studying, right? cos when i hit my lows I go somewhere i havent been before for at least three days. usually just to write. I've befriended a few artist couples that run 'creative retreats'... I've got a free one on the coromandel peninsula up my sleeve. its usually $450 a night (indian head massages and everything) because they are former clients.

that's my salve, anyway.

[Jen]

Who's "us guys?"

[gordon]

somehow i got it in my head that kiwi was doing postgrad as well. weird.

[Jen]

Kiwi didn't even go to uni.

He's smarter than me, but we haven't studied together yet.

I'm doing job trianing at the moment because doing postgrad did not result in a job or publications.

[gordon]

have you finished studying?

because if you even want the slimmest chance of using a fraction of what you studied in a workplace setting its time to start thinking about auckland. this is another numbers game. and when the numbers are so small then you either move to wellington and get a policy job in agriculture or move to auckland and try your luck.

[Jen]

I'm training and studying.
I'm not going to elaborate on the boards.

After I'm done, I'll apply for jobs and see how close I can get to Kiwi. I'm not too worried about it.

[gordon]

Healthy. I like it.

[Jen]

It's at least a plan, which is more than I've had before.

[jimmy]

Originally posted by Jen
Jimmy always makes me feel even more hopeless.

You only say that because I won't lie to make you feel better.

[Jen]

Exactly.

There's also what Kiwi does. He doesn't lie, either, but he refrains from saying the most depressing and/or panic inducing thing that he can think of when I confide in him.

[Jen]

Actually, Jimmy, you haven't seriously paniced me for quite a while, which is probably because we barely talk anymore and mostly stay away from potentially panic inducing issues when we do but still... can you see how this kind of conversation is a bit inappropriate when you know someone panics easily?

Jen: My computer just made a noise.
Jimmy: Your hard drive is failing and you are going to lose all of your data.

Or...

Jen: I worry I will never get a job.
Jimmy: The economy will fail in 6 months. Nobody will have a job and we will all starve to death.

Just that sort of thing.

[jimmy]

I think that is a lot of exaggeration. I only said that about the computer because it is a possibility. You would never lose all of your data if you backed it up now and then.

And I post about the economy stuff here, so it's not like I am out to alarm just you. :p

You panic when I give you advice because I'll never tell you something hard is going to be easy. Getting published is hard for nearly everyone that manages it. Otherwise, every idiot would be able to make a living at it. But very few can actually do that. If you want to be one of those few, it'll be hard, it'll be frustrating, and you'll very often want to give up. The only thing you can do is NOT give up.

You want easy answers to problems that don't have easy answers, and I refuse to bullshit you with platitudes about how Everything's Gonna Be Just Fine.

You may not like that, and it may cause you to avoid certain discussions with me, but so be it. I give the same to everyone else.