Redefine Rejection

• pro•lif•ic /prəˈlɪfɪk/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[pruh-lif-ik] adj. producing in large quantities or with great frequency; highly productive: a prolific writer.
• re•ject•ed [rĭ-jěkt'ed] tr.v. to discard as defective or useless; throw away.

Two words every Writer Bum needs to redefine for oneself. This book by Michael Larsen has a three page list on A Celebration of Rejection that may help ease the burden. Facts like:

• "Before he wrote Roots, Alex Haley had received 200 rejections."
• "Robert Pirsig's classic, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, couldn't get started at 121 houses."
• "Dr. Seuss's first book was rejected 24 times."
• "Louis L'Amour received 200 rejections before he sold his first novel."
• "The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck was returned 14 times, but it when on to win the a Pulitzer Prize."

As Ray Bradbury put it in advice to writers: "You have to know how to accept rejection and reject acceptance." Writer Bums know this is what separates the pro's from the ranks of amateurs who have publishable work without the publishing credits.