Rejections—trees really shouldn’t be wasted on such horrible news. That bad writing juju needs to be recycled into something good. Yes, there’s the wallpaper option, but that’s so depressing. Why not use them for fun?
How can a rejection letter be fun?
- Use them as a dartboard. “Sorry it’s not right for us,” is worth zip.
- Put all your rejection letters in a binder so you can show your family and friends that yes, you actually do work. Watch the looks of dismay and confusion on their faces as you show off your personal rejections.
- Make a happy-faced mask to hide those bad feelings rejection brings.
- Rip them up and jump in them. Who needs leaves!
- Cut out the words in your rejection letters and rearrange them into acceptances: Your manuscript is right for us. Sorry you are not accepting submission requests at this time. Best of luck with your publisher.
- Decoupage something for a successful friend that needs to be reminded of what it feels like to not get what she wants.
- Light a bonfire. Roast some marshmallows and make s’mores. Your family will be begging you to get more rejections.
- Stuff a pillow —or a mattress —or a friend’s mouth (see #6).
- Make paper maché bookends to hold up others’ books that have been published. Every time you grab a book you’ll be reminded that successful authors have been rejected too.
- Seal those form rejects in envelopes and mail them to others at random. If everyone knew how bluntly writers are rejected they might sympathize with us a little more.
If you can’t bear to do any of these things, put those rejection letters in a suitcase and take them on vacation. They’ll feel much better in paradise.
Great suggestions! I like #5, the art project.
ReplyDeleteI think you're right, though, that friends and family don't understand exactly what happens. Only other writers will understand. :-)
When you rearrange the words in rejection letters they sound so much better! Gotta have a little fun with them!
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, it can be hard to understand being rejected if you haven't experienced it. Just another reason writer friend are the best!
Hey Heather! That was hilarious! Great ideas.
ReplyDeleteI've got one for you--kind of a spin off the decoupage of #6--papier maché a pinata (wow. a trilingual sentence) full of goodies and have at it.
Dana! That's an excellent idea! I'd better work on getting some more rejections. It sounds like I'll need a lot for that project. ;-)
ReplyDeleteOh, and I think you have had THE BEST IDEA FOR A WRITER PARTY EVER!!!
ReplyDelete