Yo DU Writers: Just got a short story rejected. Cheer me up!

[Plaid Adder]

Tell me tales of your own rejection experiences!

@#$!,

The Plaid Adder

[NightTrain]

1. I've been rejected by some of the biggest names in publishing!

I could paper my walls with the rejection slips from magazines that have turned down my short stories. Not only that, but I've tried unsuccessfully to market not one, not two, not even three, but FOUR goddamned novels!

Adder, you have my empathy. :hug:

[screwfacecapone]

2. Okay, here we go, I got a classic

Not sure if spoken word/hip hop counts as writing (it's written) but it's close enough hopefully

Back in high school, I was on the come up as a poet/rapper. I used to do mostly freestyle contests, open mics, and talent shows. In my senior year, I was scheduled to be in the annual 'celebration 99', which is a talent show the senior class holds each year (which makes this even more bizzare). So anyway, I made it through all the auditions, and I was only minutes away from preforming, and I was told that I was cut from the cast at the last minute. It ended up causing a scandal throughout th eschool.

[DrWeird]

3. I got stood up at the prom.

Top that rejection.

[HEyHEY]

17. shit....I give up

I really was trying.

Closest I come to that is I tried to kiss a girl and she said "Not now, I wanna have a ciggarette."

My response; (Looking at Television) "Hey the baseball game's on"

[Fovea]

4. Rejection slips go with the territory.

Eventually this will turn around. It always does.

[Red_Viking]

5. My dad is 65

He's been an aspiring writer all his life. He's been rejected about umpteen zillion times. Last fall, one of his novels was accepted for publishing. Hooray! He called me in tears.

You're a superior writer. Keep it up. We all love you!

:dem:

RV

[Blue_Tires]

6. i'm a journalist

and i absolutely hate the job i have now (weekly paper) but it took 14 months of searching and doing hourly-wage odd jobs to find it (and i have a mater's degree) stick with it

[Snoggera]

7. Many times

if there is emotion detected as being more than part of an epilogue, there will be a negative response.

These days, the greater the emotions, the less the chance that ideas will be spread.

Look, and see. It really is that simple.

The only emotions allowed are negative, because they reinforce the words spoken by the US' leaders.

[Lisa0825]

8. Back in high school, I was in dance, drama, and also writing competitions.

I always felt that I was pretty good at a lot of things, but not great at anything. I never had enough confidence in anything to pursue my talents at the college level, where most in each department were on the pro track. It was humbling to realize, but I'm pretty happy with being moderately multi-talented.

YOU, on the other hand, have a TERRIFIC way with words. Your articles on DU were some of the first things I read here, and one of the things that kept me coming back before I joined. I sent one of your articles (gay marriage vs reality tv) on to a couple dozen people. It was just plain fantastic!

You'll face a lot more rejection in your life, because that is the way of all the arts... literary and performance. But there WILL be successes along the way, and you will have your impact in the medium. I am very confident of that, and you should be too. Especially since I feel the pendulum swinging back in our direction... the libs will have our say, and you'll be there as one of our voices.

[scottcsmith]

9. I just got rejected by "The Nation" magazine

They were nice enough to reject me via e-mail. I've lost count how many times I've submitted my column to Slate and Salon and never received any response back. So you're not alone, Adder!

I have submitted my column to two national syndicators, Tribune Media Services and Creator's Syndicate. I haven't heard back from either, and there's no telling if I ever will. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

[DS1]

10. dude, out of how many published? quit being so hard on yourself

[mkultra]

11. once

one time i put 50 cents in a pop machine and got nothing in return.

[wickerwoman]

12. You're a fabulous writer. Can you send it to a different magazine?

Maybe it just didn't fit with the place you sent it.

OK, you asked for rejection stories?

When I was in middle school I wrote an article for Dragon Magazine (the Dungeons and Dragons monthy.) I wanted to complicate the poison system which in 2nd edition AD&D is really lame. Mostly I wanted to make a quick $200. I got a book on poisons from the library but couldn't be bothered to read it- I just skimmed looking for names. Then I made a chart with names of poisons and how much damage they did to your character if you were stabbed with a knife coated in it. Two of the "poisons" were botulism and salmonella.

Mysteriously, this article was rejected. And I was actually I pretty good writer. I shudder to think of some of the crap those poor editors received from teenagers.

[Liberal Christian]

13. Ok, I've never submitted anything for publication

In our placement system, though, my vita has been sent to churches I without my knowledge and I've received rejection letter from committees when I didn't even know I was being considered. How about them apples?

I could paper my bathroom with the standard rejection in our denominational placement manual.

[guitar man]

14. I'm a songwriter

I have been writing for quite a while now and have yet to have one go anywhere near the bigs. Hasn't slowed me down though,still plugging away at it. Keep it up,you write great stuff!

[kodi]

15. well, buck up kid, penthouse letters rejected my true to life experiences

"at a large southeastern university, where i never thought this would happen to me"

it was a dark and rainy night that night at the library........well, you know the rest.

[HEyHEY]

16. Oh oh - I've got a GREAT ONE!

This is more of a rejection revenge story..... this last weekend our Newspaper Chain had us all sent away for a conference. This fucking asshole who once had me drive seven hours for a 20 minute interview was there.

I found out (from and ex-employee of his) he didn't hire me or feel the need to give me a longer interview why? Because he didn't like my clothing style - I was dressing too formal, he assumed I was some kinda keener no-fun guy.

Well, all weekend long I caught him sizing me up. Felt nice, I was dressed better than him, and I'm half his age doing the same job as him.

Fucking dumbass loser hack.

I've had stories stolen by major newspapers as well. But that's another time

[huellewig]

18. I have been rejected for.

Visa, MasterCard, AmEx, Diners Club.

[RebelOne]

19. Don't feel bad.

When I worked for a magazine in South Florida, one of my duties was to send out rejection letters. There was one story that I thought was outstanding and I begged the editor to run it. Well, he refused. Several months later, I saw it published in the Saturday Evening Post.

[bloodyjack]

20. one time i sent hundreds of obscene verses to the New Yorker

and they rejected me. worse yet, there was no response to indicate such. they simply snubbed me, the assholes. of course, i made pains to emphasize how young (17) and how brilliant and, it follows, how much BETTER A PERSON i was than they. so i was an egotistical little snot bucket, big deal! the verses were damned fine. don't listen to critics and editors, they tend to have small, unappreciative minds. they want what sells, and what sells is familiar, and what's familiar is, more often than not, fleeting. styles and schemes change, and if you're attempting at restoration or innovation, you're fucked unless you know some sympathetic or conveniently placed souls. at least that's what i would tell myself after my big break, when i swore off all literary endeavors 4EVER