Wednesday, November 5, 2014

#IWSG: When Something Bad Turned Out to be Nice

For my IWSG post, I’m afraid my mind is drawing a blank at the moment. I don’t have any form of insecurity to write about. But I do have something to share that happened last month.

IWSG


You see, I've received two rejections. One was a short automated reply for one of my short stories for children. The other one was for one of my novels, and it was a long note. I find the latter to be a really nice one. OK. Rejections are often thought of to be one of those bad things that we have to go through. You may be thinking I’ve gone bonkers since it was a rejection for one of my manuscripts and you’re probably wondering why I find it rather nice. :--)

Well, it’s because the editor took time to write a personal letter to me and I truly appreciate that. It was a nice long note filled with encouragement and feedback. Editors are often busy. That is why I truly appreciate the kind gesture that was extended to me.

Now, what about you? What’s keeping you busy? Received a rejection note that made you smile? How are your writing activities coming along? Oh, do tell.

Below are some updates. I’ll see you next month! Sending virtual *HUGS* to all of you! Do visit me at my other blog, SLS (SittieCates Loves Stories), when you have the time. Thanks! 
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Updates:

I’ve joined the BC Bloggers for both of my blogs (this one and my SittieCates Loves Stories blog). I’ve joined them before but I wasn’t sure if they were still active. Sadly, some of the links are not going to the site. Will check them out again next time. Still trying to figure out things there. I'm sure it's a nice group, too. 

== Manuscripts
My manuscripts are doing the rounds. I’m plotting new ones at the moment to keep the anxiety at bay for those that were submitted.  

== My eBooks

I’ve revised my children’s books on most eBook retailers.

I saw that all my eBooks are also on National Bookstore in the Philippines now. Sweet!

For my eBook (The Hidden Fear of an Author…) that was initially offered as free, please know that it’s now being sold for a considerable price. I had to change it because someone used it online without my consent. Well, that goes for copyright issues. Anyway, I thought it would be best to remove it from its free offer and sell it to prevent this from happening again. 


19 comments:

Cathrina Constantine said...

I've had rejections that fill pages and pages and they still don't get easier. But a nice rejection letter is always a good way to receive one, and I think it means you're getting closer to that Yes!

Elise Fallson said...

Getting a personally written rejection letter that's constructive and nice is a good thing, and as Cathrina said, it means you're on the right track. My ms still needs a lot more work before I can even consider sending it out. Thank you for your comment on my site, it's nice to meet you too and I'm happy to follow back. :)

Lisa said...

I agree with Elise and Cathrina, so good to receive something constructive even if it is still a "rejection." It can only help and is yet another step in the right direction. Keep up the good work!

Chrys Fey said...

Form rejections suck! It's the rejections that show the editor/agent actually read your work that are the best because they tell you what they liked about it and what could use a little work. Those are the hopeful rejections, but not many actually take the time to write those.

Good luck with everything!

Crystal Collier said...

Oh man! That really stinks about your book. I hate it when people walk all over other people's rights.

Anyhow, I'm with you on nice rejections like that. You must have struck a personal chord with the editor to get that kind of response, which means it might ring true enough with someone else to get picked up. Yay!

Unleashing the Dreamworld

Pat Hatt said...

Constructive is way better than generic any day

S. L. Hennessy said...

Constructive thinking can get you through anything. It's all about attitude. Good luck with everything and happy writing!

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

A personalized note is nice. Probably gave you some pointers on what to work on. The form rejections don't help with that at all.

Cherie Colyer said...

Personalized rejections are wonderful, because they often include comments we can use to help us improve our stories. =)

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

As rejections go, those personalised ones are the best.

Anonymous said...

Give me a personalised rejection of a form letter or 'silence' any day! My family has been keeping me busy lately!

Anonymous said...

To this day I've kept many personalized rejections. They are filled with encouragement and useful feedback.

dolorah said...

my rejections are usually in the form of automated replies. Sometimes a word or two are constructively helpful.

Lately, I've just been busy being busy, but not always sure why I feel that way. Not writing, but doing writerly things.

Have a good weekend Sitti

Michelle Wallace said...

Hey Sittie!
A personal rejection letter sounds wonderful...it means somebody took the time/effort...it's all about the human touch!
Take care.
Happy Writing!

SittieCates said...

@Cathrina Constantine: oh, I hope so. Thanks for the visit!

@Elise Fallson: Do hope your manuscript get accepted soon when you do send it out. You're welcome. And thanks for following back, Elise.

@Lisa: Thanks, Lisa. Hope I get a 'Yes!' soon. :-)

@Chrys Fey: True. Those are the best.

@Crystal Collier: Oh, I hope it gets accepted soon. That would truly make my day. :-)

@Pat Hatt: Yup. Short and sweet as always, Pat. :-)

@S. L. Hennessy: Thanks, S.L. Happy writing to you, too.

@Alex J. Cavanaugh: Yup. They did. And I'm working on those suggestions at the moment.

@Cherie Colyer: Yup, they sure are. Thanks for the visit!

@Lynda R Young: So true, Lynda.

@Michelle Dennis Evans: LOL! Hope you do get that blissful "silent" moment soon. :-)

@Medeia Sharif: I've kept my earlier ones, too. What I find interesting is that they don't say the same thing. :-) But their comments help a lot.

@dolora: Yes, it is because you learn what the strengths and weaknesses are in the plot. Thanks for visiting, dolora!

@Michelle Wallace: The human touch... That's right, Michelle. It was really nice to receive it. Happy writing to you, too! Virtual *hugs*!

Stephanie Faris said...

Personalized rejections are HUGE. Editors and agents have limited time, so most of them only take time to respond to those that show promise. It's a sign you're getting closer, for sure!

ceemee said...

Hello SittieCates! Thank you for wandering to my blog cymplified.com, I knew you posted a comment, but I cannot seem to find it when I was going to reply to it today. I'm so sorry!

I guess I'll see you in BC Bloggers when I get back my blogging groove. :-)

SittieCates said...

@Stephanie Faris: I sure hope so. :-) Thanks, Stephanie!

@Cym Marzan: Hi, Cym! Yup, I did. I left a comment there. I hope you found it by now. Sure, I'll see around on the virtual grounds. :-) Have a great week!

Tamara Narayan said...

I'm somewhat pleased at getting any kind of response from agents, because so many have gone to the "no-reponse means no" to save time. One that contains editorial suggestions is gold. Mine those comments if you can.

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