The Debutante Ball Welcomes Laurie Halse Anderson!
Congrats to contest winner Leslie Nagel!
It is an extreme pleasure for us to welcome the incomparable Laurie Halse Anderson to The Debutante Ball. While we could rave on and on about her and her incredible body of work, we’ll let her speak for herself. As she says on her website:
Laurie Halse Anderson is the New York Times-bestselling author who writes for kids of all ages. Known for tackling tough subjects with humor and sensitivity, her work has earned numerous national and state awards, as well as international recognition. Two of her books, Speak and Chains, were National Book Award finalists. Laurie was honored with the 2009 Margaret A. Edwards Award given by YALSA division of the American Library Association for her “significant and lasting contribution to young adult literature…”. Mother of four and wife of one, Laurie lives in Northern New York, where she likes to watch the snow fall as she writes.
Today Laurie takes a spin on our dance floor to weigh in on this week’s topic, Rejection. Keep reading at the end of the post for your chance to win an autographed copy of Laurie’s latest book, Forge.
(Photo Credit: Joyce Tenneson)
Triaging Rejection Pain
You know the dream, right?
You steal the hours before dawn or after midnight to scribble the stories that won’t leave you alone. You write possessed by the spirit of the Muse. You are driven by the need to be published and maybe by the idea that being published will change everything.
After years of work, you submit the manuscript. Maybe you say prayers, or light candles, or visit shrines like Mark Twain’s house and leave small offerings of cigars and pots of ink. And then you wait. For days. Weeks. Months. Sometimes years, all the while explaining to your skeptical family and friends that really, this is the way the publication process works, and you expect to be hearing from the editor any day now.
Finally, the news arrives. Not the phone call from the delighted editor. Not a bouquet of flowers from your agent. Not a marching band led by Steven Spielberg who wants to option your story for his next blockbuster film.
You receive the Rejection Letter. It says something like this.
“I’m afraid we’re unable to make you an offer to publish as your story does not meet our needs. We appreciated the opportunity to consider your work.”***
Ouch. Who knew that such bland words could be so devastating?
Rejection often leads us to cycle through the stages of grief:
- Denial – you double-check to make sure the letter was sent to the right person.
- Pain – you cry. You curl up in the middle of the floor and sob. That letter is an acid-tipped shard of glass thrust deep into the heart of your dreams. When you finish crying, you make a cup of tea. When the mug is empty, you cry some more.
- Anger – you plan out an exposé for Harper’s on the sham that is the publishing world. You post furious blogs and snarky Facebook status updates. You try to use your rage for something constructive so you shovel your neighbor’s driveway and throw out your back and wind up in traction. And then the next stage hits.
- Depression – the sad, lonely black dog creeps in between your ribs and gnaws, slowly, on your liver.
I know your pain, my friend. We all know this pain.
The nice people who encouraged you to follow your dreams vanish when the dreams are shattered, don’t they? And that university where you earned your MFA does not offer a money-back guarantee when the rejection letters outpace your student loan payments.
All of this is the bad news.
It is also the good news, too, in a strange and twisted way.
Because rejection is a constant in writing. Even when you get to the stage where you have an editor who regularly publishes your books, you will still deal with rejection in the form of nasty reviews, or bad sales figures, or non-existent marketing budgets. The fantasy that we have of everyone loving our books, and praising them to the heavens, and buying a bazillion copies is a lovely fantasy, but it is hardly the material for you to build a career upon.
Even J.K. Rowling has bad days. Seriously. She does.
Do not say to me that you would be willing to have her bad days as long as you could have her income. You didn’t become a writer to be rich. She didn’t, either. She had a story in her heart and she wrote it. She controlled what she could.
You have control, too. You have total control over the quality of your work. My Fever 1793 rejection letters? The manuscript deserved them. It was bloated and not well-crafted. Frankly, it sucked. I thought that an editor would see what a good idea it was, and then, you know, edit, and help me make it better. That’s not how it works. Don’t send out your story until it is perfect.
You also have control over where you send your work. A couple times I sent Fever 1793 to editors who hated historical fiction, because I did not research the kind of books they worked on. A considerable part of being a professional author means understanding the business aspects of our world. That includes knowing which imprints at which houses will appreciate your story. It also means staying on top of the dizzying changes that go on in publishing, including where editors work and when they move. (Harold Underdown’s website is a great resource to help with this.)
You are the one in charge of your life plan, too. Were you hopeful that this novel would earn you a five million dollar advance and free you from your day job, your debt, and your worries about the future? Did you have your Caribbean island picked out? Most successful authors live frugal lives because they understand the financial realities of the publishing world. Being published is an amazing experience, but it contains no guarantees. I think a part of the pain of rejection is that it crushes some unrealistic financial hopes.
The way to pull yourself out of the slimy pit of Rejection Depression is to go for a very long walk. Bring a notebook and a pen. Write down all of the financial goals that you had attached to the sale of your book. Make a note that in a week, you will come up with a different plan to achieve those goals. This allows you remove financial pressure from your writing dream. Removing the financial pressure will go a long way towards allowing you to be clear-headed about the quality of your work. It usually leads authors to take the time to do another draft – or three – before they send their stories out again.
After the walk, read the last five books edited by the person who rejected your story. You may realize that your story is way outside of what this editor enjoys. But if you feel even more strongly that this is the perfect editor for your work, then you are left with a somewhat painful, but ultimately very useful lesson.
Your story is not good enough. Yet.
This is truly good news. Because you’re a writer. You’re a reader, a creative, open-minded person. Your task is to figure out how to make your story even better. And you will do this.
You might consider taking some time away from the story. You are probably too close to see the forest for the trees. Draft another novel. Set a goal of writing six picture books. Read outside your favorite genre for three months. Write some poetry. Draw. Take voice lessons. Dig other creative ditches and then return to the manuscript that was rejected.
That’s what I did. I set aside Fever 1793 for a year and wrote Speak.***** After writing Speak, I returned to Fever 1793 and was able to see all of the weaknesses of the story. I revised and revised and revised some more. The book became much better. The next time I sent it out, the editor called me, and in a very pleasant voice, explained that Simon & Schuster wanted to publish it.
The last stage of grief is Acceptance. Yep, your book was rejected. But you are alive. Your creativity has not diminished. You are capable of learning more and writing better. Rejection, in all of its forms, is part of being a writer. Take it as an opportunity to become more professional, and to lift the quality of your work to the next level.
And don’t forget to take a trip to Twain’s house. A little homage to one of the masters never hurts.
***Quote is from one of the thirteen rejection letters I received for my historical novel, Fever 1793, that went on to earn a place on twenty state reading lists, become a BBYA title, and has sold nearly one million copies.
***** For the record, Fever 1793 sold before Speak was published.
Thank you so much for that inspirational post, Laurie; we’re thrilled beyond words that you joined us here at the Ball.
If you’d like to win a signed copy of Laurie’s latest book, Forge, just leave a comment below. The winner will be drawn randomly and announced in next week’s News Flash. Good luck — we can’t wait to hear from you!
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I don’t know if it’s because misery loves company, but I suspect it’s more because it’s nice to know it happens to other people. Rejection that is. You make so many good observations, and they’re all important things to keep in mind during the submission process. Thank you ^_^
Great post, Laurie, and perfect timing for me. I’m about to start the seventh draft of a novel I hope will go on submission in 2011. Thanks for the reminder it’s not ready yet. It will be, but it’s not yet. And, when it is, that will be reward enough. Everything else, is indeed, icing on the cake.
Thanks for the reminder that we all have to keep learning and growing, but above all we need to keep going. It helps to know there are many others who share our desires and feelings.
The biggest myth of all is that rejection ends once an author is published. I think we all want to believe that, even when we know deep down it isn’t true. We believe this big day will come when we’ll get published and from there on out, life will be sunshine and roses.
Thank you for wise, realistic words. I’m going for a walk now, and I’m going to take your advice!
Thank you for the background on FEVER 1793. I shared your book with a summer book club of 5-7 grade girls two years ago, and they loved it. They even put together a bizarre (but memorable!) presentation of the stages of yellow fever (I was lucky enough to get the yellow eyeball prop).
They also enjoyed games where I’d ask questions about the book, and the loser of each round would get one step closer to their own yellow fever demise. Macabre, goofy, and fun.
I was prepared for the rejection letters. I had researched the market for awhile and realized there was a learning curve and I was at the bottom. The rejections hurt, but they didn’t surprise me. Hopefully 2011 will hold twenty more rejections and one phenomenal agent willing to tell me exactly why my book won’t sell. (:
Wow. Thanks for sharing your story with all its ups and downs. If an amazing writer like you can grow and learn from rejection, I certainly can. Your honest, no-nonsense words were just what I needed to hear. Wishing you all the best for 2011!
Wow, beautiful post!
Yes, amazing post- I started a “rejection scrapbook” each rejection is a lesson learned, a badge of honor.
It is really inspiring to hear how such successful writers also got rejected. Thanks for sharing Laurie!
Inspiring post, at a time when I needed to hear this story from someone whose writing I respect and enjoy. Thank you!
As someone who has faced A LOT of rejection, I SO appreciate this. Although I don’t wish hardship on other writers, I am always inspired when I read stories of those who had difficult journeys but then made it. I was at the Rochester Teen Book Festival back in May and the HUGE lineups that led to Laurie were evidence of how loved and respected she and her books are. Laurie, thank you for this honest account of your own journey and the reminder that: A. all writers face rejection, B. not to hang hopes and dreams on unrealistic expectations and C. Everyone starts somewhere.
Thank you – always good to see the journey of authors who have made it through the mire.
Thanks, Laurie. You really only have one option and that’s to keep writing.
Very good reminders and advice.
I love this post! Very awesome, thanks!
Wonderful post…and encouraging! Thanks for sharing!
Can’t wait to read the book! Thanks for the great post!
Terrific post-just got a rejection yesterday and it feels good to see I’m not the only one who lives with anger and pain!
I honestly don’t have anything to add, but I would like the chance to win a copy of Forge for my daughter who enjoyed reading Speak.
I started talking about how wonderful it is that Laurie Halse Anderson was chosen to talk on overcoming rejection, but it kinda devolved into gushing praise.
Let it be said that I appreciate the privilege of reading this, I’m a huge fan of the author, I can’t wait to read more of her books, and I look forward to the day when I can tackle devastation and recovery half so well as she does in my own writing.
I’m also sharing this with my writing fans. Excellent words!
Hope I’m not too late to enter the contest. Laurie Halse Anderson’s work is breathtaking. I’ve had several of my female high school students soften and change after reading Speak. It’s an unspoken balm for so many of my pained little ladies. In a perverse way I’m kind of glad Ms. Anderson had to suffer through so many rejections since it seems that it’s often what it takes to push deep enough to write something that really matters.
If it’s any comfort, I had seven yrs of rejection prior to contracts from Berkley, Dell, Harlequin, and Dell. Back in the day, we did not have Internet resources or access to so much info, and it took a writers conference and an agent who read the same material to jumpstart me. Same material, but took an interested agent. My arrow-thru-the-heart rejections put me onto the couch, wrapped in an afghan and groaning as if a death blow. Same material, tho. Just took that one agent to click.
Thank you for sharing. Very inspiring. Have a blessed holiday.
Thank you for such wise words and reminding us that rejection is not the end of the dream to be published, it’s just a step along the way.
What a wonderful post. As a reader, it makes it so much better to read a great book and know that it once, well, wasn’t. It’s like life. It takes time to grow up, mature, and be ready to actually live a life to your standards. It provides hope that maybe Some people, who just can’t seem to get it together, can receive help and get their ducks in a row. It adds another dimension to the book, shows how much you really care about the finished product, and how each word is really strategically placed. Which, of course, that notion leads to off the wall theories and assumptions that make reading the work all that more entertaining.
thank you so much for this article. rejection sucks & this takes some of the sting out of it. it gives me hope knowing i’m not alone.
I hate word count. First draft: 210,000. Fourth draft: 153,000. Sixth draft: 135,000.
Currently paring my way through Draft #7. This part of the process sucks. The good news is that I have pulled out some chunks of story that may see the light of day in another book (if I don’t give up before then).
Misery loves company. Glad I found this blog before I fed my laptop to the wood chipper.
Excellent advice. I especially think that divorcing writing from financial pressure is a great idea. I write because I can’t help it. If I get paid for it, that’s a bonus. Maybe it helps that I have a day job I love, but (at least for me) the point of writing isn’t the money. The point of writing is the story.
Thanks so much for the reminder–hope, faith, and lots of work. Not necessarily in that order.
Already commented, so don’t enter me twice in the drawing… Actually, Forge is available at my local library, so don’t enter me at all! I’d rather someone who can’t otherwise read it get the opportunity,
I just remembered a TED talk I saw that offers scientific support to Laurie Halse Anderson’s recommendation to separate financial pressure from your writing:
http://www.ted.com/talks/dan_pink_on_motivation.html (video)
http://dotsub.com/view/edb14a8c-0012-4f1d-b7c6-9fceb784af90/viewTranscript/eng (transcript)
It was after watching this video that I dropped those “write lots of books, make loads of cash, and never worry about a day job again” dreams.
What good is having tons of free time if I end up too focused on the money to write?
Thank you for this post. I am printing it to stash away for the fateful day- which will come- when submitting my story begins. Good sober food for thought.
What a fantastic post. Honest, inspiring, terrifying and full of great advice for a writer struggling to get my first MS to the point I feel it’s “ready” to send out. Thanks.
Taking a walk is always a good idea, especially after an emotional blow. My question is: should one save rejection letters? I have had a spotty track record on this (mostly based on how badly it smarted to receive the letter…)
Sometimes we need the reality checks of rejection, and the inspirational lifts of others who have persevered. Thank you for being both.
What a timely message for me. Last night I began reading my copy of FEAR which you autographed at the Rochester Teen Book Festival. I’ve been submitting, rewriting, and getting rejections on an historical novel for too many years. In November I attended an SCBWI Novel Revision Retreat in Syracuce that helped me see the flaws in my oft rejected story and gave me clear instruction for eliminating/correcting them. I accepted the reality that the story was not well written and committed myself to doing what it takes to make it so. Your essay has reenforced that determination and will help me move to that day when acceptance comes from the publisher whom I most want to publish my story, the one who sent me the first rejection. Thanks for the encouragement.
Thanks for the great – and humourous – advice. A run usually clears my mind so that’s where I’m headed. On the first day of a new year, here’s to continued hope for that acceptance letter in 2011!
So well said! Mahalo for this tidbit of wisdom!
“…all the while explaining to your skeptical family and friends that really, this is the way the publication process works…” This especially struck a chord! (smile!)
Thanks for the inspiration!