Hope in Rejection

Today I received my first official rejection from an agent. It will certainly be the first of many; Just part of the process. I’ve had many rejections in response to query letters, but this is the first from an agent who requested additional material. The agent’s website advised to allow up to twelve weeks for a response. It took almost nine weeks to the day. So, for nine weeks I had hope. Now, I just have this letter.

There was encouragement embedded in the ‘no thanks,’ though! The agent said, “[my] writing is good, and the imagination behind it is great, but [she] just was not passionate enough about this project to ask to see more. [She] found that [my] dialogue, characters, and plot were fine and well-crafted.” I was grateful she added the positives she saw in my work. It definitely helped to soften the blow!

I am energized by this rejection for a few reasons: I feel legitimate now that I’ve officially been rejected. It’s fantastic to know that someone who is completely immersed in the field found some merit to my work. And finally, most importantly, even though it stung a little, this did not at all make me doubt myself as a writer. It did not make me want to slow down at all, rather it made me all the more determined to go out and get rejected again and again until I find that one agent who is equally as passionate about my story as I am. Because, that’s what’s important. This agent rejected me for the right reasons! She could love my writing, but if she’s not ‘feeling’ my work then she’s not the best person to represent it. It’s important to remember agents have to be true to their own passions just as writers do.