Discouragement

In the business of writing and seeking publication, discouragement is a difficult reality.  At the present, I have only prepared and sent two query letters to literary agents, but was rejected by both.  And while I fully expected that to be the case since I am an unknown and these were my very first attempts to query, I still had to fight with myself not to grow discouraged by it.  Rejection is simply a part of the game.  So, I've decided to list some ideas (both for myself and for other writers) of ways to overcome the discouragement inherent in the system.  And here it is:

1. Believe in yourself. -- You have to trust that your instincts about your work are accurate.  If you believe in yourself and your ability to write, then eventually you will convince a literary agent or publisher of that as well.

2. Believe in your work. -- Remember that each literary agent or publisher receives numerous queries each day and they can only select a limited number to continue in the process with.  Their rejection of your query does not necessarily mean that your work is not good.  It may simply mean that it was not the type of work they were looking for.  Or it may mean that your query letter needs some work.

3. Keep writing. -- When I first started the process of querying literary agents, I put all my writing and editing to the side and focused entirely on querying (which was mostly just waiting).  That just made the eventual rejection even more depressing.  So, keep writing or editing.  If you have edited your manuscript as much as you can, then start on another project.  Continue to send those query letters, but don't stop writing.  And when you get rejected, create a character in your story who you can name after the agent and then kill them off.  Very therapeutic!  (Just kidding...maybe.)

4. Do other things. -- Don't spend all of your time writing (or editing or querying).  Find a hobby.  Play with your kids (if you have some).  Hang out with friends.  Read a book (that you didn't write).  The more life experience you have, the better your story will likely be.  This will also give you some needed distraction from the discouragement of rejection.

5. Have a drink...of coffee (or tea) that is. -- Perhaps a little caffeine will help lift you up out of the doldrums and give you some renewed creative energy.  So, grab a hot cup of coffee and get back to work shaping a new story or recrafting your query letter for another try at getting your work out there.

If none of these help and the discouragement continues to plague you, then perhaps you need to take a break from all of it for a bit.  Take some time to invest in other areas of your life and take a step back from your current project.  Perhaps with some time away, you will see your work in a new light and regain some energy and enthusiasm for promoting it.  For all your writers out there, what other things would you add to this list or what would you change?  I wish you all great success in your writing and in your lives!  May you overcome the discouragement and press on toward the goal!