I received my 69th rejection yesterday. I took it really hard. The agent said that she really liked the postapocalyptic idea, but thought that zombies were fading in popularity, then she commented on my writing and basically said it wasn't very good. I was crushed. Not that I expected her to accept the manuscript, but her comments made me question my writing ability and I wondered if I was wasting my time. I still have two partials out with agents, and I'm thinking about withdrawing them from consideration. It's pretty obvious that the book is not ready.
Despite all my heartache yesterday, my wonderful, thoughtful, supportive, and very optimistic friend Tamara helped me see the bright side. Of course, not so much yesterday, but I've had some time, so I can see it now! Even though the agent rejected the story, she still took the time to write reasons why. As we all know, this is a rarity. She also said that she would be willing to take a look at my next project. That's huge! Plus, my book is still under consideration with the publisher. That's pretty amazing since their website says they are still considering 16 manuscripts right now. I'm sure (hoping) that's out of hundreds they've received. If nothing else, I can say that I made it to the top 20 of the publisher's choices.
Rejection is never easy. Although, sometimes it's easier to brush off than others. I'm trying to stay positive and look at the bright side, but after my story has been rejected completely, I'm going to put it away and come back to it when it will be fun to work on again. That might be never. But don't worry, it won't stop me from writing. It almost did, but I'm much too stubborn for that!
