On Rejections...

So far, during this whole year that I've been writing, I had four returned manuscipts.  I sent a total of twelve manuscripts on PHR, eight were approved while the other four were returned.  Yung una kong returned, hindi ko masyadong dinamdam 'yon.  Tanggap ko naman kasi na medyo napasobrang out of the box yung story ko.  But the second and third really hurt me.  Hindi ko matanggap na returned sila.  Kasi feeling ko naman maganda naman yung story, saka maayos naman yung pagkakagawa ko ng conflict.   Feeling ko nun, hindi siguro talaga ako para sa romance.  Ayoko namang sumuko na kaagad dahil lang sa nakatanggap ako ng rejection.  So dahil nasayangan ako dun sa dalawang story na 'yon, I sent it to another publishing house.  And guess what?  They approved it.  It was super weird at first, kasi 'di ba nga, returned siya sa PHR.  Naisip ko na lang noon na baka sobrang taas lang talaga ng standard ng PHR.  Pero super saya ko talaga noon, kasi ibig-sabihin hindi masasayang yung story ko.  I sent it to MSV, by the way. After that, nagsulat ulit ako ng isa pang story and I sent it to MSV instead sa PHR.  Ewan ko ba, after kasi nung tatlong returned ko, sobrang bumaba talaga ang confidence ko.  Feeling ko magsasayang na naman ako ng oras kung ipapasa ko siya sa PHR tapos in the end ma-re-returned lang.  Ayun, the story was approved again.  Sobrang kino-contemplate ko na nun na sa MSV na lang ako magpapasa ng story.  Kasi feeling ko talaga hindi nila i-re-return yung mga sinusulat ko. And then the workshop came.  It was PHR's summer workshop.  Super thankful ako na um-attend ako nun.  Nagkaro'n kasi ako ng panibagong confidence na magsulat ulit for PHR.  Ang dami kong natutunan, as in!  Doon ko na-realize yung rason kung bakit nga ba na-returned yung tatlo kong MS.  After that, nagsulat ako ng isang bagong story.  I considered all the things that I learned from the workshop.  And voila!  My story was approved. After the workshop, sunud-sunod na yung naging approve ko.  Kaso this last December 6, I had another returned manuscript.  Syempre nalungkot na naman ako.  Pero hindi ako masyadong nagpaka-wallow sa self-pity kasi the day after that na-approve naman yung isa ko pang MS.  But still, nakakalungkot pa rin kasi gusto ko talaga yung story na yun.  Ipinasa ko ulit siya sa MSV.  Hopefully matanggap siya. :) Anyways, alam ko super cliche na nitong sasabihin ko, but for those na talagang pangarap ang pagsusulat, hindi kayo dapat sumuko dahil lang sa ilang rejections.  Kung alam niyo naman sa sarili niyo na meron kayong talent for writing, then don't give up so easily.  Sabi nga ni Robert Mckee: “Write every day, line by line, page by page, hour by hour. Do this despite fear. For above all else, beyond imagination and skill, what the world asks of you is courage, courage to risk rejection, ridicule and failure. As you follow the quest for stories told with meaning and beauty, study thoughtfully but write boldly. Then, like the hero of the fable, your dance will dazzle the world.”