Rejection: Keep Looking for the Right Address

January 8, 2008 by Lillie 

Writers hate rejection. Here’s a bit of wisdom from author Barbara Kingsolver on what that rejection letter really means:

This manuscript of yours that has just come back from another editor is a precious package. Don’t consider it rejected. Consider that you’ve addressed it ‘to the editor who can appreciate my work’ and it has simply come back stamped ‘not at this address.’ Just keep looking for the right address.

Related Posts:

Every “No” Is Just One Step Closer to a “Yes”
Rejection: Your baby is ugly!
What I Learned from Rejection

[tags]rejection, writing[/tags]

Filed Under Writing and Publishing Advice 
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21 Comments »

Comment by Israel Jobs
2008-01-09 03:44:55

That’s good advice, Lillie.

I’ve blogged about job search rejection before.

I also like to tell rejected job seekers that the company didn’t deserve them and was doing them a favor by saving them from job headaches there later on.

Jacob

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Comment by Israel Jobs
2008-01-09 05:03:28

Thanks Lillie :)

Jacob

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Comment by --Deb
2008-01-09 11:14:42

LOVE that quote!

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Comment by Jeanne Dininni
2008-01-09 12:57:17

How true, Lillie! Great words of wisdom to help writers view “rejection” with brand new eyes!

Thanks for sharing an encouraging quote!

Jeanne

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Comment by Jeanne Dininni
2008-01-09 16:13:30

I really appreciate that, Lillie! Thanks so much for adding value to my post!

Jeanne

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Comment by Jeanne Dininni
2008-01-09 17:04:49

Indeed it is!

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Comment by Jeanne Dininni
2008-01-09 21:38:55

Hi, Lillie!

I decided to go for it, but when I got to your blog, I noticed that there’s a message at the bottom of your last nested comment stating, “(Comments wont nest below this level).” So, I guess we’ve found out what we wanted to know: Six comments can nest together at one time. (Guess I probably still could have clicked “Reply here,” even though the comments wouldn’t have nested; but I didn’t notice it before leaving a totally new comment. Sorry!)

It was an interesting experiment, though!

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Comment by Neena (NeenMachine)
2008-01-10 00:04:32

Good advice to apply to all areas of life. Never accept “No” at face value, and take every rejection as a learning experience.

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