3 Things to Do After a Rejection

Rejection sucks. At the time of this writing, I’ve had almost 200 of them, for short stories and my romance novel. I did get used to hearing “no” after a while, but there are still times when rejection really hurts. Times when a “yes” would be a big deal in my writing journey, or when I think I have a good chance at acceptance because my story got shortlisted or my novel was requested by an agent. Times when I get my hopes up.

But as writers, rejection is part of our everyday work. So here’s a few tips on bouncing back after a big disappointment.

Keep your perspective. 

An agent or publisher has a job to do, and that means they unfortunately have to send rejection letters to some really great writers for some really great words. They simply can’t accept everything they like: their time and publication space are limited. And that’s all it is. So a rejection does not mean you are failing as a writer and should give up on your dreams. It just means you struck out with that particular project with that particular agent or publisher. Do re-evaluate if necessary: sometimes after a long string of rejections, I will rewrite a story and try again. But sometimes I have confidence in my story and decide to stick it out. Which brings us to:

Be persistent. 

One of my stories took 25 tries before I finally got it in front of the right person at the right time and it finally sold. I kept having to add rows to my spreadsheet! And this is actually my go-to when I’m faced with rejection, the thing that makes me feel better fastest: send the story or novel back out again. Because then I’ve got another “maybe” to focus on, instead of that “no.” Occasionally, though, the rejection is so painful that I can’t move on so quickly. For those times, I turn to the next point:

Take time to mourn.

I have moments when I lose confidence, when I have doubts about my writing future. When I have to acknowledge the fact that certain stories may never sell, and that my novel may never find an agent, let alone a publisher. Which sucks, because I’ve put so much work into all my projects—and pinned my hopes on them.

In these cases, I need some distance before I can get my perspective back. So I put the project aside for a few days and look for distractions: a new book or movie, a daytrip to somewhere fun, spending time with family and friends. I know that eventually, this rejection won’t hurt as much and I’ll be able to get back into the swing of things. But it’s going to take some time, and that’s okay. It’s all part of the process.

Just never give up.

Further reading: Here are 4 reasons your really great story got rejected and How to publish a short story.

This article was first published on my writing blog

DannyeChase.com ~ AO3 ~ Linktree ~ Weird Wednesday writing prompts blog ~ Resources for Writers

 

So what’s a poltergeist?

A poltergeist (translated from German as noisy ghost, knocking ghost, or rumbling ghost) is not like other ghosts. While hauntings tend to stretch over years or even centuries, poltergeist activity often lasts only a few months. And unlike most ghosts, poltergeists often focus their energy on a particular person, rather than a place. But the biggest distinction is danger: while the White Lady who climbs the stairs may spook you, a poltergeist is said to be capable of doing you actual harm.

So how does one know they’ve got a noisy ghost? Oh, they’ll know. Phenomena involved with poltergeists include objects being flung around, particularly rocks; furniture moving across the floor; bad smells (it’s worth noting that many non-poltergeist hauntings include pleasant smells, such as Grandma’s perfume); doors and windows opening and shutting; and electrical effects: lights flickering, bulbs spinning in their sockets, and the creepiest bit, powered objects operating without electricity or batteries. 

That’s the more normal stuff. Also reported have been lit matches falling through the air, shrieking noises, telephones constantly dialing certain numbers, water pooling on the floor (that would actually be kind of helpful if it coincided with the matches), and even a pair of gloves floating around, touching things as if some invisible hand was wearing them. And of course, assaults: pinching, biting, hitting, and pushing. The Bell Witch was even said to have murdered a man via poison. 

But the most common sign of a noisy ghost is, well, noise: knocking sounds coming from the walls, floor, or furniture. Sometimes, the raps seem random, and other times they can function as a method of communication with the spirit: (rap once for yes, twice for no). 

There are, of course, conflicting explanations given for poltergeists, including plain old hallucinations, and credulous witnesses.

You can look at some major theories, and scare up a few writing prompts on my blog!

DannyeChase.com ~ AO3 ~ Linktree ~ Weird Wednesday writing prompts blog ~ Resources for Writers 

Writing a First Kiss

There are a million different ways to write a great first kiss. Here are some of my thoughts, and a few prompts!

We’ll deal with the physical first.

Writing physical intimacy is just logistics: who’s got their [specific body part] where? For kissing, you’re obviously dealing with mouths, but also usually hands, and eventually some sort of embrace.

Kisses are dynamic, meaning there’s some movement going on. Here are three of the many physical possibilities for kissing that are particularly suited for a first kiss:

1. Lean-lips-hands. This is a quiet kiss: First, character A leans close, or else they both do. There is often eye movement, where one or both gazes are shifting from eyes to lips and back again (sometimes this is written as silently seeking permission). Then their lips meet. For a first kiss, you may want to pause here, because this is probably a Big Deal. After that, hands move, usually to the other person’s shoulders, neck, or collar, where they rest. It’s not an attempt to move the partner, it’s a simple desire for more touch.

For a quiet kiss there’s probably not going to be a ton of movement, because usually when characters open their mouths and deepen a kiss, there is more hand/arm involvement. (Of course, that’s not a rule, feel free to write a passionate kiss where hands never move from lighting resting on shoulders.)

2. Embrace-kiss. A lot of first kisses start with hugs. But it needs to be a lasting hug, and it helps if it involves shoulder and neck contact. Then have the characters move back from the hug slowly, without breaking it. At this point, you can go for some super intense eye contact if you want, followed by both partners leaning in and starting the kiss, which can range from shy to suddenly passionate. The embrace will likely tighten back up at some point.

Or, instead of eye contact, you can have them moving from the full contact in the hug to resting their cheeks against each other, and then slowly shifting back just enough for mouths to meet. This is a kiss where there is no “seeking permission” phase, they just both move into it together. Because the shifting is slow, this kiss will probably at least start off quiet. And again, the embrace will probably renew itself.

3. Kissing everywhere but the lips. Oddly enough, this is good for both shy and really confident first kisses.

Read the rest of this article on my blog

DannyeChase.com ~ AO3 ~ Linktree ~ Weird Wednesday writing prompts blog ~ Resources for Writers