Before I became a writer, I had never been turned down for a job. If I applied, I got the call back. Without fail. Granted, they weren’t the best jobs. But I got them.
This is something that I’ve had to adjust to as a freelance writer, where, more often than not, I don’t get the job. I was turned down for two positions before I got into the companies I am currently writing for. And now that I’m trying to build my career, I am again running into a lot of rejection. In the past few weeks, I have applied for several private client positions, and haven’t heard back on anything.
I think learning to not let this rejection get to me is one of the biggest things I have gotten from this career. My first couple rejections stung. Now, I just let it go, and apply for the next one. I’ve put together a decent resume, and I’m building a better supply of writing examples to choose from. I’ve learned to pick out a good writing opportunity, and just skim past the questionable or ridiculously low-paying job posts.
One of the best things we can do as writers is to learn to distance ourselves from our work. When I was a cook, for example, I didn’t get upset if someone set food back. Usually. It’s the same idea here. Your work is not who you are. If you don’t get the job, move on. Apply to something else. There will always be a better opportunity. If you have submitted a query to a magazine or other print format and it is rejected, send it out again to someone else.
Building this attitude is especially difficult when you are working for yourself. There is no one else to fall back on. You alone are responsible for your success. You have put time and effort into whatever it is you are sending into the world, whether it be a query letter, and article, or your resume and application. Being rejected, or even just never hearing back, can feel like a personal attack. It isn’t. The people who looked at your work see the work of hundreds of other writers as well. They don’t make it personal. The best thing that you can do is to take a moment to accept the rejection, and then get back out there and try, try again.
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Encouraging message, I hope your message gets delivered to those who are in need of it mostly. People need to learn more about how to forget the past and focus on future.
Thank you for this post… I too have been taken aback at the number of rejections I’ve received, especially because I’ve always been told that I’m an EXCELLENT writer! Problem is, there are a lot of excellent writers out there!
I’ve been blogging on my personal blog for years, but I just started a writing blog. Keep up the good work!