You sent a pair of mittens when they were looking for a hat.
That was a friend’s response to an email rejection a few years back.
Last week I posted about a more recent rejection. Yesterday, flipping through a magazine from my alma mater, I came across a feature on alumnus Deepak Sethi, a television writer, who said:
You could get 100 rejections a year. Some people would just focus on that, but you only need one ‘yes’.
Get this. The article I read was called “Failure Can Lead to Success.” My short story is called “Nothing Succeeds like Failure.”
Coincidence?
Another sign from the universe?
I don’t know, but this morning, I knit myself an envelope. I’m sending those mittens out again. Here’s hoping they find some hands that fit.
Yessss!!! Mitten covered fist pumping in the air. Go Duchess.
Knitting yourself an envelope. What a beautiful image.
We’re all here, rooting for you. It’ll happen. Just you wait.
You go, girl! Don’t forget the bobble on the flap!
Serendipity!
You must, absolutely must get the children’s book Extra Yarn by Mac Burnett and Jon Klassen (Klassen is one of my favorite illustrators ever). Today. Beautiful, beautiful picture book.
The girl is you and even when someone takes it away, the words will find you.
Love.
This is what we do Duchess. We send it out, get a response, and send it out again. I sent another essay out last night and a funny thought occurred to me: the hardest part is done. I already wrote the thing. This is just business.
Lyra, you are so right. The hardest part is already done.
I’m hoping along with you, Downith. I think your earlier mittens post was one of the first pictures I saw on your blog
Yes, I recycled that photo because I thought it fit my friend’s rejection analogy so well.
I promise you, someone has cold hands and would love a nice toasty pair of mittens. Keep knitting, Duchess.
Yes! While you’re knitting, go ahead and knit about 25 envelopes and send them ALL out. It’s cold out. Many hats and mittens needed.
Yay!
That’s the spirit. And I want one of those knitted envelopes.
i too am imagining a well weaved envelope.
i love when we’re in the flow and can see all the signs around us. the hard part is when we’re not in the flow and remembering those signs are still there–we just are watching for them.
keep at it…you pushing yourself along pulls the rest of us with you.
Did you notice all the thumbs-up in those mittens? That’s all of us, cheering you on!
Sherry! You’re back!
I came here planning on saying that this is exactly what I would expect of you, then I read Sherry’s comment, had to go back to the photo, and laughed. She’s right! And it leaves me with nothing else to add.
Go girl. Are you allowed to do simultaneous submissions? Know I shouldn’t, but I do them all the time..
I don’t usually but am going to start!
Publishers’ prohibition against simultaneous submissions is merely their attempt to control the industry. Don’t they know that they’ve lost control? (Sorry for the rant, Downith. Had to get that off my chest
)
Mary, I love it when you rant. Rant on.