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/lit/ - Literature

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3503353 No.3503353 [Reply] [Original]

>tfw submissions to my college's literary review got rejected
>tfw all my stories have been rejected from everywhere I've sent them
>tfw peers who read my work say it's great but I still end up rejected

Does it get easier, /lit/? The rejection? I know it's bound to happen for a long time still, but boy does it get disheartening.

Also, for any writers out there, when did you start getting stories accepted? What are you working on now? Any tips for an aspiring writer? Any words/advice you have to offer is much appreciated.

>> No.3503361

I thought you said "diarrheaing"

>> No.3503366

That's rough. Is your school's literary review particularly competitive? That seems like one of those things I'd have in the bag and then not be able to feel proud of.

>> No.3503377

fuck them, you don't need their recognition.
Just selfpublish your stuf

>> No.3503379

>not submitting work from a mental position where rejection won't hurt you and acceptance won't either
>not striving for autarkeia instead of external validation

>> No.3503380

>>3503366

Not very, no; they ended up extending the original deadline to allow for more submissions. That's why I'm feeling so down about it. I figured I'd finally have this one.

>> No.3503384

Ray Bradbury said he wrote one short story a week and had every single one rejected in a year. The next year a couple were accepted, then a few years later he was having up to 10 a year accepted. Don't give up or worry, bro, just start working harder.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YlYAhSffEDM

>> No.3503393

>>3503384

Thanks, man. I remember hearing that about Bradbury. I'll keep working at it and won't give up. It'll all work out one day, I guess

>> No.3503397

Yeah, man. Rejection is part of the process. What was your story about?

>> No.3503409

>>3503397

Well, there were three I submitted. One was a period piece about F. Scott Fitzgerald, one was about the end of a relationship, and one was about a man succumbing to hedonism. Looking back on them now, I realize none of them were as good as I thought they were when first I finished them. Maybe it's only inevitable, though. I'll get it right one of these days.

>> No.3503412

>you will never attend college with DFW and sit at the back of lectures commenting on the lecturer and bailing early to meet some girls in the campus coffeeshop and afterwards drink shots in your shared apartment talking about literary theory and the future of the novel, before heading out with the aforementioned qts to watch Blue Velvet in the cinema

>> No.3503416
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3503416

>>3503412

Don't make me feel this feel. Not again.

>> No.3503424

>you will never receive your first acceptance letter from a renowned literary magazine and have DFW sneak up on you and look over your shoulder at it and wrap his burly arms around your middle and snuggle his face on your shoulder and say "whatcha lookin at?" and you're so happy you start crying and turn around and bury your head into his chest and feel him stroking your hair and saying "shhhh" into you ear

>> No.3503435

>you will never return to your shared apartment ahead of schedule and catch DFW fucking Tao Lin, whose sitting on top of him reverse cowboy, and have them scurry to cover themselves up and see Tao scuttle from the apartment embarrased and ashamed and hear DFW banging his fists on the bathroom door and shouting to you that he's sorry and that he didn't mean to hurt you

>> No.3503437

>>3503353

Can you post some of your work?

>> No.3503439

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YlYAhSffEDM

>> No.3503441
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3503441

>tfw /lit/ doesn't have an anonymous peer-review system whereby we all make throwaway email accounts and get paired with different anons each week to review one another's work

>> No.3503450

>>3503437

I'd really rather not, sorry -- not right now, anyway. I'm a little down about this and a piece of mine is getting workshopped on Wednesday, so I know I'm going to take a beating then, too. I can only handle so much at a time. It'd be unfair of me to ask you guys to "go easy" since that's not the point of peer review and certainly not the point of an anonymous image board. Maybe another time, though.

>>3503441

This would be a great idea, actually -- supposing we could properly implement it, that is

>> No.3503457

>>3503450
I'm sure we could come up with some system of doing, maybe have a trip set up a thread each week and collect the emails nad pair people up

>> No.3503473

>>3503450
Keep with it you!
It will keep hurting, and perhaps because you think/feel that you will be rejected. You subconscious write lazy? Or doing "mistakes" that you would not have done otherwise?

One day you will succeed and it will hopefully be a great moment.

I hope you make it in this time, also let a friend or some friends read it. And try to get them to explain everything they dislike. AND take that in consideration.

I know it have helped me a lot, with friends reading and they tell me right away what they like & what they dislike.

>> No.3503474

I went through probably seventy or so rejection letters before a publisher even gave me the time of day. From there having someone read your work, and have to approve it, then someone higher up the chain do the same, was extremely disheartening. Basically it was the idea that you no only have to hit a home run, but three in a row. Sure, it hurt, the rejections and worry, but it didn't stop me from trying.

Do not feel discouraged, every rejection merely is a letter saying you need to try a bit harder. More discipline and diligence, writing every day towards the goal of becoming good enough for people to give you that time.

>> No.3503495

>>3503473

Thanks, anon. I really appreciate that. I wouldn't say my writing is "lazy" since I review and revise it exhaustively, but it always seems like there's something missing from it -- some spark of vitality that will set it apart and distinguish it. I have a couple friends I send my writing to, but they never have too much in the way of criticism for some reason -- like they're afraid of hurting my feelings or something. What criticism they offer I always take to heart, but it's never very much. I'll prod a little more from now on and try to get them to stop holding back.

>>3503474

And thank you as well. I'm nowhere near giving up on this. I'll keep prodding and pushing and doing whatever is necessary to get it done.