Fail, fail again, fail better.

Samuel Beckett

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Not to beat a dead horse, but I’m still writing about rejections. However, it’s not all doom and gloom; rejection can, in fact, lead to opportunities. In being rejected by agent after agent, and thereby writing about rejection on this blog and doing research in order to write about rejection, I came across this Lit Hub article.

And it completely changed my way of thinking about my recent tidal wave of rejection.

Kim Liao’s words had a profound effect on me. She writes about rejections from literary magazines, residencies, and fellowships. She also mentions applying for grants and pitching articles. That immediately helped me realize I was putting too much emphasis on literary agents because there are so many other ways to expand and develop my writing life.

Literary Magazines
Poets & Writers has a complete and comprehensive list with editorial policies, submission guidelines, and contact information so your writing can find the perfect home. Their search option includes filters to find magazines with reading periods that are open now or opening soon (within the next thirty days) and that accept unsolicited submissions. Having work readily available for an audience is a key part in gaining success as a writer, and literary magazines are an excellent tool to do that. Publishing credits are also a huge bonus to list in a query letter and establish your credibility as a writer.
Residencies
Poets & Writers also has a database for writing residencies. A residency offers writers time and space away from their everyday lives in order to focus solely on reflection and creativity. Some residencies can be expensive, and some are super competitive, but there are many residencies to look into. The Write Life has a list of 34 residencies which features opportunities with a more inclusive application process.
Grants and Fellowships
One of the biggest, most impactful stressors in my life that truly impedes my creative process is … money. Applying for grants and fellowships can help ease the burden by funding a writing project. For example, The National Endowment for the Arts Literature Fellowships program offers $25,000 grants in prose (fiction and creative nonfiction) and poetry to published creative writers that enable the recipients to set aside time for writing, research, travel, and general career advancement. The awards alternate yearly between prose and poetry, but grants are always available to help ease the financial burden the writing life can sometimes pose.But why 100?

“…because if you work that hard to get so many rejections, you’re sure to get a few acceptances, too.” And even if it’s not an acceptance, sometimes a personalized, encouraging rejection can be “…better for the soul than acceptance.” I still have my email from Tom Strelich and I’ve been adding comments to my Google Sheet of rejections to commemorate encouraging rejections.

Have you heard of the book Art & Fear by David Bales and Ted Orland? I hadn’t before the Lit Hub article and now I’m determined to read it and annotate the hell out of it. They describe a ceramics class where half the students were asked to focus on producing a lot of pieces while the other half were asked to turn in one perfect piece. According to Liao’s retelling, “Surprisingly, the works of highest quality came from the group being graded on quantity, because they had continually practiced, churned out tons of work, and learned from their mistakes.” There’s a lot to be learned from the results of the class for all creative types, not just writers. To hone your craft, you have to produce; seems simple enough.

And submitting work frequently helps get you in the habit of submitting, of facing rejection, and of persevering. Not to sound too philosophical or phony, but I do fully agree with Liao when she writes, “…I am happiest when I am writing, not when I am being read.” Keeping up with the writing schedule is paramount, and committing to 100 rejections a year can help spur on that work ethic.

I think I found my resolution for the new year.

Recommended Reading:On Writing by Stephen KingBird by Bird by Anne Lamott

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