The entire way that you choose to frame this speaks volumes to the privilege that you hold, that you can speak about "rejection" as though it means missing out on your top pick and being forced to settle for your second. You don't present it as the grinding agony of years, of having your blood-inked work shot down dozens of times or having the same scummy pack of smooth-handed losers stomp on your face thirty, forty, fifty times in a row. For you, there are no losses, only the briefest of disappointments before victory.
What advice do you have for the person who's been having gatekeepers stomp on his face for a decade and a half? What respite is there for someone who's been ignored for nearly a generation? Can you not understand the utter disregard it takes to tell a person like this that they should regard their agony as a gift and learn from it?
None of us need your insincerity. We need an opportunity. You'll never offer it, not when you can barter it with your friends.
The entire way that you choose to frame this speaks volumes to the privilege that you hold, that you can speak about "rejection" as though it means missing out on your top pick and being forced to settle for your second. You don't present it as the grinding agony of years, of having your blood-inked work shot down dozens of times or having the same scummy pack of smooth-handed losers stomp on your face thirty, forty, fifty times in a row. For you, there are no losses, only the briefest of disappointments before victory.
What advice do you have for the person who's been having gatekeepers stomp on his face for a decade and a half? What respite is there for someone who's been ignored for nearly a generation? Can you not understand the utter disregard it takes to tell a person like this that they should regard their agony as a gift and learn from it?
None of us need your insincerity. We need an opportunity. You'll never offer it, not when you can barter it with your friends.
40 years of publishing book excerpts in dailies, weeklies, monthlies and quarterlies taught me this:
Once you factor out raw talent, submission just becomes a numbers game, consistent work and finding discipline in your joy (not the other way around).
99% of what I WRITE gets published.
99% of what I SUBMIT gets rejected.