The Writer's E-Zine Home

Writers' Village University - F2K: Free Fiction Writing Course - ePress-online
Writers' Village University Membership Information

Tips to Jumpstart Your Writing

Suzan L. Wiener

How To Use Rejections as Free Editorial Opinions

Have you wondered what to write, but couldn't decide what type of writing you wanted to do? I had that problem when I first started freelancing. I wasn't sure what I wanted to write about. I was able to compose poetry, children's and inspirational stories and anecdotes, but found it hard to decide what I should concentrate on. I felt I wasn't succeeding because of the number of rejections I was receiving. That's when I decided to make those rejections work for me, instead of just sulking. Editors were telling me what they preferred. When I took that into account, my acceptances increased. How? In other words, seeing what editors reject is almost as important as what they accept.

By looking at and studying the work they didn't like, I was able to figure out what they did like and what I should submit. Editors weren't interested in my children's stories, but they did like my inspirational stories. I was submitting serious poetry, but it wasn't being accepted, so I tried my hand at romantic poetry, and it sold. Now, editors buy many of my poems and I've become published on a regular basis.

By their responses, editors tell me what they think of my work and I don't have to pay large sums of money to get critiqued. It's strange too, because I find that what editors like best is what I like writing the most. This makes freelancing even more enjoyable.

So, while those rejections hurt, don't sulk. If you use them properly you'll find they will be of considerable help to telling you what changes you can make to become published. Even without an editor writing a personal note, they are in effect saying what you need to know.

Remember, rejections just may lead you onto the path of success.


About the Author
Suzan L. Wiener has had numerous poems, stories, writing articles and fillers published in national publications such as T-Zero: The Writer's Ezine, Canadian Writer's Journal, Riverrun, Impetus, Saturday Evening Post, Poetry Press, Verses.