The reason your writing is rejected by publishers and editors may be that you do not reject enough.
Publish Insights 2 October 2021
Beyond Acceptable Writing
You must reject more of your work to minimize rejection by others. Let me explain. No one likes to lose. High school and college sports nurture competition. Children push themselves for good grades or compete for valedictorian. Adults apply for jobs and companies compete for customer contracts.
In the writing profession, rejection outnumbers acceptance. Publishers decline novels. Editors dismiss article submissions. Advertising agencies reject copywriting. A common reason is that the words fail to motivate readers.
Creative thoughts can come in the early morning hours or middle of the day. At these inconvenient times, I endeavor to jot them down for later review. It may be a headline and one paragraph. That is as far as many go because they do not pass the litmus test.
Who is the audience? Where will they read it? Why will they read it? Is there motivation to act in a way that aligns with the company brand? That last question is key. A blog has a purpose. It can be philanthropic or driven by revenue. Writing cannot be altruistic or egotistic.
Avoid Warm-Overs
At a large convention, a speaker illustrated his main point in a way that resonated with the audience. Afterward, an attendee said he was going to use the illustration in his next speech. This is without an assigned topic.
So many questions came to my mind. Will you be speaking on the same subject? Will your audience be different? Is it likely that people here will recognize your reuse of the illustration?
Turn Rejection to Advantage
As a writer, no matter how much you fall in love with an allegory, remember it is not all about you. Someone else must read, enjoy, and act on your words. Study the audience before presenting a solution to their needs.
A group submitted a recommendation for someone’s dismissal. Palms were sweaty during a tense meeting with a superior and the offender. But one stood his ground as did the defensive worker.
Though the superior rejected the recommendation, one asked to go on record as rejecting the rejection of the recommendation. The point is that you must resolve to reject some things before submitting them for approval.
To become a successful writer, be your biggest critic—even more than your biggest fan. By scrutinizing your work, rejection takes place before submitting to editors. Hence, they may respond with a more favorable acceptance. Remember, everyone fails on their road to success.
