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No. To strive towards it. Yes.

It's the underlying belief that yes, I can do this.

I purchased the book Rotten Rejections edited by Andre Bernard. It puts writing into perspective, especially when you're a writer starting out. The front cover of the book jacket says in bold letters: The Letters That Publishers Wish They'd Never Sent. The book list snippets of famous authors rejection letters including this one sent to H.G. Wells for War of the Worlds - "...I think the verdict would be "Oh, don't read that horrid book." And, what about this one, sent to Jacqueline Susann for Valley of the Dolls - "...she is painfully dull, inept, clumsy, undisciplined, rambling and thoroughly amateurish writer..." And I laugh at this one, "It is badly written and the hero is unsympathetic." - Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead.

The point of all this, don't ever give up on your dream to be published or to supersede your next novel. One agent or editor's horrid book is another editor's 'the next great American novel'. Anyway, now there are much kinder and gentler rejection letters sent to writers so they don't go screaming to the bathroom to slit their wrists!

I save all my rejections letters in a file that I have stored in a cabinet in my closet. I also save all my acceptance letters and reviews. I read in an article published in this month's RWR that it's a good idea to read old reviews to remind you of your talents. It's also a running history of where I've been and where I want to head.

It's okay to fail, again and again. Failure isn't a bad word. It means what you were trying to do will not work, and it's time to rethink the process, and make some changes.

I wouldn't have taken the challenge to reinvent my writing career if I was afraid of failure. Sure, I have anxiety that I won't be able to live up to my goals. The book will be an utter flop and no one will want to publish it. I'll have a 85,000 word document gathering dust in back of my desk. Negative-speak which isn't very useful.

Before negative-speak takes over, I fall back on my other passions - family, friends, art, travel, reading. This brings balance back into my life. I have lunch with my writer friends who understand the ups and downs of this crazy profession. I remind myself that this is what I chose, and I'm the driver of my destiny.

My humble advice to aspiring writers - Never ever give up.

Here's a rejection quote from a letter sent to Mary Higgins Clark for her book Journey Back to Love - "We found the heroine as boring as her husband had."

*grin*

Tomorrow's post: Last day ramblings

Happy Reading!
Vicki
http://www.vickigaia.com