Some of you know I started writing a poem a day earlier this year. That isn’t as easy as it sounds, but I’m persevering. Occasionally, I miss a day which means I have to write two poems the next day. Keeps me on my toes. At a recent critique group meeting, someone mentioned my project and how it was going. I had to admit that even though I enjoy it tremendously, I have no idea whether it’s good poetry or not. I received a bit of an answer to that question on Labor Day.
Earlier this summer I submitted three of my poems, the ones I thought were some of the best, to an online poetry journal who wanted nostalgia poems. I write a lot of nostalgia so I submitted. On Labor Day, I opened my email to find a reply from the editor. Alas, to my disappointment, the editor thanked me, but rejected all three of the poems. Don’t worry, I didn’t cry, wail, or throw up my hands in despair. I simply sat down and wrote more poems which brings me to the subject of this blog.
Rejection is a part of the writer’s life. I came to terms with that early in my writing career. An editor took me under her wing years ago and mentored/critiqued me as I learned to write. On one occasion, I sent her a short story for critique. I received it back with so much red ink splashed across it, you could barely see the story, but at the bottom of the last page, she had written this: ‘You will never be a professional writer unless you learn to take criticism.’ That statement has kept me on an even keel in my writing. When someone rejects a manuscript, I just do the proverbial water rolling off a ducks back and go on about my business. Oh, don’t get me wrong, I don’t like rejection, nobody does. But I learned a long time ago that it doesn’t mean I can’t write or that I’m not a writer. You have to develop a tough hide and keep going. Because somewhere there is someone who thinks you can write and they will be glad to print your words for the world to see.
Vickie Phelps, Writer, Author, and Booklover 