Savoring Rejection

[Dana King]

There's another discussion currently underway about rejections. I don't mean to criticize its originator; far from it, I think his attitude is healthy and he'll handle the inevitable future rejections well. My question covers writers in general:

Why do we savor our rejections?

Only writers keep files of rejection slips and letters. Every other profession moves on. I was trained as a classical musician, and used to periodically travel to out of town auditions. I don't keep the plane tickets of the auditions I lost. (Which would be all of them.) I learned what I could from the experience, and left it behind. (Out of town auditions involve flying, possibly cross-country, on your own dime to potentially sit in a room with over a hundred other competitors so you can play a five-minute audition, at the end of which the overwhelming majority of particpants will will be told to their faces, "Thank you. Next." That's rejection.)

Why do writers alone have such a fascination with rejection?

[carole gill]

Hey Dana!
btw I audtioned too, many years ago--for plays, shows--I know how "thank you very much, NEXT!" feels!
As for rejections, I don't keep them, never did.
I've had rejections for short stories and for a novel I wrote--a few years ago.
Why keep them?
Having a file with up to date information about who you've approached--what they wanted or who to keep away from (if any)--yeah. But why save the corpses?
I feel I can learn what I need to without surrounding myself with rejections, can't I? (I ask this rhetorically).

[John Dishon]

Because Stephen King did and wrote about it.

[carole gill]

I don't do that.
Doesn't work for me. I just write and get things out--don't mull over everything. wouldn't be finishing my novel now if I worried about everything.
It worked for him, great. We all work according to our own individuality.

[John Dishon]

Please note that I meant what I said in a sarcastic, he did it so I'm going to too kind of way. I think King popularized it.

[carole gill]

meant it in a sarcastic way?
whatever do you mean?!
Work however you work best, John.
I just find saving rejections doesn't work for me.

[carole gill]

just wanted to add this: http://workinprogressinprogress.blogspot.com/2008/01/collecting-rej... this:

apparently I'm not alone.

but again, whatever works, works!

[I. J. Parker]

There is a practical reason: You want to keep track because you don't want to resubmit to the same publisher until enough time has passed for the original editor to have been replaced.

Besides, there's hope. My early rejections were form letters. These days I get long personal letters (to my agent) with the most flattering comments on my book before the eventual "sorry, not for us." This shifts the responsibility from me to the abysmal lack of taste among readers. :)

[carole gill]

yes, I understand that reason for keeping them.
but truthfuly I just keep a file of who and when type thing.
I just don't want to see form letter rejection slips all over the place.
but yes--if there is a reason to keep them for information, of course but in a file in a desk.
I'm sure you get flattering comments!
You didn't actually hang up your early form letter ones though did you?!

[I. J. Parker]

Hang them up? You mean as a symbolic form of execution? No.

Years later I was looking for them because my agent wanted to know to whom I had submitted. Agents ask those questions.

[carole gill]

ah. right. so it's good to keep them for record purposes then.
no, I only asked the question, kind of disbelieving it myself as some people say they hang theirs up like wallpaper.

[John McFetridge]

You know there have been some famous rejection letters - they might actually make for good wallpaper.....

[carole gill]

I'm sure!
yeah, you know I have to thank you guys--I'm getting more relaxed about it now.
denial phase is passing!