Rejection!

Rejection
By N.J. Walters

Rejection! We’ve all been on the receiving end of it. Felt the sharp sting of disappointment, the prick of tears, or the rise of anger. It’s not fun.

But some of us set ourselves up for it. That’s what being a writer is all about. It’s mounds of no thank you’s and form letters, with only the occassional yes thrown into the bunch, if you’re lucky

According to the Webster’s Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary, to “reject” means to: refuse to accept, consider, submit to, take for some purpose, or use. To cast off. To throw back. To decline.

Sounds simple. Your book does not satisfy our requirements at this time. Why you ask? You sweated blood for it, spend countless days and hours slaving over it. Why doesn’t it fit?

Because it doesn’t.

It’s as simple and as complex as that.

Nearly every writer has been rejected at some point or another in their career. Most of us, many times! My very first book was rejected due to POV (point of view) problems. Like most beginner writers, I had a hard time with this. Why? Because many established writers get away with head-hopping from one character to another within a scene, but most publishers won’t accept this from a new author. Go figure.

Still, the rejection letter and the handwritten note helped me realize what was wrong with the book. If you’re lucky enough to get a handwritten note or a letter that isn’t a standard rejection form—READ IT! This is a professional editor giving you free advice. I reworked that first book at least a dozen times, if not more. But guess what, it finally found a home. It took almost a decade, but I did it.

Rejection is easier when you’re just starting out and haven’t published. No, really. I mean it. Getting rejected once you’ve been published hits you even harder. After all, you’re a professional now and are supposed to know what you’re doing. Right?

At least that’s how it’s been for me. I had a story rejected by one publisher only to rework and tighten it and have it accepted by another. One book almost never saw the light of day because it was rejected the first time around. I was so devestated by this rejection I almost chucked the entire book. Instead, I put it away for a while and finished my current work-in-progress. When I was done, I pulled out the rejected manuscript, looked at the editor’s comments, reworked the book and resubmitted it. This time it was accepted!The book has been out for a while now and it is a fan favorite.

If there is one thing I’ve learned as a writer, it’s that you have to make peace with rejection. It’s a fact of life and it’s not personal.

Rejection is a great teacher. It taught me that I can always rewrite a book, can fix any problem (no matter how large), and can always find a home for my story—even if it takes years and another stack of rejection letters.

While it’s no fun, rejection can be helpful. It’s all in how you look at it.

Emotional~Sensual~Satisfying Reads!
http://www.njwalters.com
http://www.njwalters.blogspot.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/awakeningdesires/ (newsletter group)
A Legal Affair—Samhain Publishing—July 15th
Jackson’s Jewel—Ellora’s Cave—July 25th

Strangling the muse

How often do you have your day planned and then have a monkey wrench thrown into the gears?

I had planned to do some heavy duty writing today. I really want to get my next wolfie finished. Then, I discovered I had no hot water. Now there was a distinct possiblility that I'd run our of heating oil. ('We have baseboard hot water heat.) (We also have a 1000 gallon tank buried in the backyard with no oil gague so I have no idea how much oil is in it.) I called my regular service but they couldn't deliver before Monday because they only had one delivery person today --- in Williamsport only. So I found the phone book and started calling. First two - no answer. Third, no guarantee of delivery today. Fourth, I got a very nice man who now has my business because his oil was only $4.27.9 a gallon. (ACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

Anyway, oil truck comes - I still have over 400 gallons of oil. ( I got 150 gallons anyway because who knows how much it will cost once the weather starts turning cold.)

This means there's something wrong with the furnace. So, I called that nice man back only he was in a meeting. The woman I talked to was also nice and said she'd either call me back or have their repairman call me. That was at noon.

Two o'clock, no phone call. So, I called them back. The woman answered but gave the phone to the nice man who was back from his meeting. He promised to have a man out today. Five minutes later, he called back to let me know the repairmans' schedule so I wouln't get worried when he didn't show up right away.

I'm prettey sure the furnace will be fixed, but, damn, the hassle threw a bucket of cold water on my muse.

Don't you just love a day like this?

July Sneak Peek Contest!

I've got two books releasing in July and I'm celebrating with a big contest!

A Legal Affair is releasing from Samhain Publishing on July 15 and Jackson's Jewel is releasing from Ellora’s Cave Publishing on July 25th!


I'm giving readers a chance to win a download copy of each book. For details on how to enter to be eligible to win, go to my Website and click on the "contests" page for details!


The winner of the download of A Legal Affair will be drawn from all correct entries received on July 14th. The winner of the download of Jackson's Jewel will be drawn from all correct entries received on July 24th.

Tuesday Twelve: My All-Time Favorite Movies

After I made this list and read it over it struck me that practically all of them are fantasy or science fiction. I guess that explains what I write.

1. All three of The Lord of the Rings movies – the best fantasy movies EVER

2. Star Wars, the very first, the original and still the best, with The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi close behind. I like to pretend Episodes 1-3 never happened.

3. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. It’s close between that one and Order of the Phoenix.

4. The Princess Bride “My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.” Utterly unforgettable.

5. Pirates of the Caribbean – The first one is still the best.

6. High Noon – This is how you do suspense.

7. Monty Python and the Holy Grail (The Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch – I almost fell off the chair laughing so hard.)

8. Aliens. Another close one between this one and the first, Alien, but the first one felt a bit too claustrophobic for me.

9. Terminator – Didn’t have so much of the cool CGI effects of the later movies, but a better story more than compensates.

10. Serenity – Joss Whedon, Nathan Fillion, and some closure for the Firefly story. Need I say more?

11. The Day the Earth Stood Still – It’s vintage 1950s with a heart-wrenching ending, but still a terrific movie.

12. Casablanca – It’s a classic.

So... What are your all-time favorite movies?

-- Karen McCullough

Happy Hump Day!

Hi all! Still working on three manuscripts all at the same time, though less frantically since work is just as busy as the stories in my head. One book is the story of Alaina Bixler, the daughter of Carin and Bix. I hadn't planned to continue the Vampire Council of Ethics series after the third book (Kenoe's story, due out in July) but I got an idea in my head that I just couldn't shake, so it's in the works. And speaking of Kenoe's story, it's now up on the Samhain Publishing coming soon web page.

HATSEPT HEAT, V.C.O.E. Book 3 Coming next month!

I'm So Lazy...

That's it. Guess.

I'll come by tomorrow and tell you what they are.

Voting Continues and an interview

In the Romance Studio's Diva contest. Round 4 is anonymous excerpts. Go vote for your favorite!

Interview with Allie Boniface.

Mechele Armstrong aka Lany of Melany Logen
http://www.mechelearmstrong.com/
http://www.melanylogen.com/