I got snail mail
early today and to my surprise, I received a letter from one of the publishing
houses where I summited a story. Although, I'm an India author and we are a
driven lot, wanting full ownership of our work, to make our mark in this
world. However, we still like to put our
feet in the warm waters of the publishing giants.
I've sent out a
number of my stories to publishing houses, magazines and journals, just to test
those waters, and see which way the tide is flowing. I know I'm not the only
one that's during this, after all, who wouldn't want to have a story at one of
the major publishing houses in the world?
I was apprehensive, didn’t know what to expect. Although,
this wasn't my first letter from a publishing house, I knew there was a chance
that my story wasn't good enough. However, I hoped. With great expectation, I
opened the letter while seating in front of my blank laptop.
I only read the first sentence: "Although we enjoyed reading what you
sent us, your story has not been chosen ..."
I closed the letter sighing, when I looked up I saw my
reflection in the blank face of my laptop. I had never seen such a broken soul.
There were unshed tears in my eyes and my lip quivered on a face full of sadness.
What has this writing bug, done to my bubbling spirit, I
thought, but just as quickly I heard.
“There is no crying
in Indie."
I'm a big fan of Geena
Davis. I love all her movies, but the Long Kiss Goodnight when
she played Charlene Elizabeth "Charly" Baltimore the assassin. WOW!
At five three, I've always wanted to be a tall strong woman, like Pam
Grier and Geena Davis, with a slightly deep voice from smoking and drinking too
much with the ability to kill with a
very small knife.
Alright, I know, I digress. The movie I have in mine is A
league of their Own, in particular where Tom Hanks tells the little
blonde mother, “There is no crying in Baseball!"
When those words entered my mind, I knew that letter couldn't
defeat me. Although, rejection of any
kind hurts, I was going to continue to write. It’s a part of my cell structure,
the first breath I take in the morning and the last thought at night.
Like James Lee Burke said, “There’s nothing like rejection to make you do an inventory of yourself."
So I look at me, see where I can change, improve myself to
get to that next level.
If I look at this rationally, some of the best writers have received
rejections letter.
Carl Sandburg said, "I wrote poems in my corner of the Brooks Street station. I sent them to
two editors who rejected them right off. I read those letters of rejection
years later and I agreed with those editors.”
I want go so far as to say I agreed with the editors, well
not today, but perhaps one day.
Copyright © 2013 Glynis Rankin
