Saturday, March 3, 2012

Dedication rises from disappointment.

What normally should have hurt like a bullet ripping through my flesh, only caused me to flinch and sigh. I did not even make it past the first round in the novel contest I entered. (see An Adventure with Amazon)

I am thankful for my copy-editor, a fellow Professional Writing major, and for the rest of my mock-publishing squad. Through their tips and edits the errors of my work were revealed to me. The author, no matter how long the manuscript sits aside, will not catch everything. I ripped that manuscript apart over Christmas break and here, about two months later, fresh eyes are pointing out things I would never have seen.

It is the process of my copy-editor's hard work and the many things I've had to do (synopsis writing, back cover text writing, cover designs, pitch writing, and editing) during this mock-publishing process my professor is guiding me through that has enabled me to resist the disappointment that always accompanies rejection.

I am imbued with a fresh sense of dedication. That dedication pushes me to polish this manuscript close to perfection. It does not push me to obtain perfection because I know perfection on earth is impossible. Also, the perfectionist author cannot compete in the fast pace of today's literary market.

The author who looks upon his/her book with a critical eye is able to resurrect dedication from the grave of rejection and disappointment.

6 comments:

  1. “If you’re not prepared to be wrong, you’ll never come up with anything original.” — Ken Robinson

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  2. That's a great quote! I am definitely archiving it. Thank you, Oli.

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  3. Great perspective to have! Lessons should always be learned from hardship and disappointment. Good luck in polishing it up. Always stay focused and determined and you will go far!

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  4. Thank you for your words of encouragement, Lena. Focused is exactly what I intend to be.

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  5. I love that last line. It really brought the point home.

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    1. Thank you, Kristin. I'm glad you enjoyed the blog.

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