Rejection May Not Be Personal, But …

I’ve lately had a series of writers confide in me about rejections. It’s reminded me how much rejection is almost never a career setback, but a psychological one.

Author Aline Ohanesian (@alineohanesian) shares an excellent story about dealing with rejection. In the first part of the story, she explains how she’s tried to help her children overcome rejection by friends—which is dubbed the “shopping for fruit” story by the family:

We remind him that he is a ripe juicy apple and the person saying no is either allergic to apples, can’t handle any more fiber, or, more likely, just felt like eating oranges that day. Rejection is rarely personal, we tell them. It has very little to do with what’s being chosen or not chosen, and everything to do with the person choosing.

But when Aline gets a particularly difficult rejection, she realizes how ineffective the “shopping for fruit” story is. Click here to read about her realization.

Aline’s story is just one of several in the latest Glimmer Train bulletin, which offers insights into the writing life:

Vulnerability and Human Connection by Christa Romanosky
Be the Tortoise, Not the Hare by Andy Roe
This Ain’t Your Grandma’s Publishing Industry by Mojie Crigler

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