rejection letters – Gwen Hernandez

Is it Christmas yet?

I've already figured out what I want for Christmas next year. I want to go to the Writer's Police Academy put on by Lee Lofland (founder of The Graveyard Shift blog about police procedure and crime scene investigation).

Unfortunately, I didn't know about the WPA until my writing funds for the year were already allocated, but I'm hoping Mr. Lofland will host another event in 2011. Until then, I'm going to put in an application for my local citizens' police academy and see what happens.

On another note, I received a rejection with feedback and a request for a partial of my next project. Wow! Who knew rejection could feel so good? After a discussion with my CP, I have a game plan, and I'm feeling pretty good about it. Now I just need to knock out the synopsis, polish up my MS, and get that puppy off for her to rip to shreds. 😉

So, what's on your Christmas list?

One No closer to Yes

November 17, 2009Gwen HernandezWriting Life

I got my first rejection letter–well, email–today. The worst kind: a form letter with no personalization at all. Well, now I've lived through that. As the positive thinking experts would say, “I'm one ‘no' closer to ‘yes'.”

I actually thought I'd be more upset, but I think my many months of conditioning through reading RWA articles and listening to my chapter mates helped me go into this with realistic expectations. The odds of getting a request from an agent aren't very good. I've read enough agent blogs to know that it depends on my query letter, timing, luck, the agent's mood, what's on the agent's desk right now, whether Scorpio is rising…

All I can do is hope for some personal feedback at some point, and keep honing and sending that letter. And most important of all, keep writing! I'm almost halfway through my current project, so if I don't get requests for Counting on You, maybe Floater will fare better.

I'm not a big believer in fate, or superstition, but I've had enough experience to believe that things happen when you're ready for them. Maybe I need to write a few more books before I'm ready. But, I'm also not giving up. I sent out more than one letter.

Maybe the next agent will read my query during a full moon and be struck with the urgent need to see a complete manuscript. Could happen.

—

The Daily Squirrel: rejection? 😉

She spread the thick, rough paper flat on the table, smoothing the creases with her warm palms. Everything she'd ever done had led to this moment, and she squeezed her eyes shut, afraid to look, knowing that one paragraph, one sentence…one word, would change her life forever.