Rejection Letters Scare Travel Writers to Death

Updated: Mar 27th, 2010

A group of travel writers took a travel writing course on “how to get published in travel writing.” They wrote their articles with care. The instructor read, critiqued, and proofread their articles. He gave them back to the travel writers to make revisions. The articles were sent to various publications. Of course, the travel writers adhered to the submission guidelines. The travel writers felt very good about their travel articles and hoped for the best!

A few weeks passed and the travel writers started to receive letters from the editors. One by the one, each travel writer opened and read their letter. The letters were not pleasant. It was said that one travel writer read her letter and started screaming in terror! At the top in big, bold red letters, was the word rejection! The other travel writers received the same type of rejection letter and it scared them to death!

How to handle rejection

No one likes to be rejected. Unfortunately, rejection is a part of life. The key is how you handle it. The above paragraphs show how our travel writers did not handle rejection well. Do not let rejection letters bull-doze your emotions. Remember, rejection is not a life-threatening disease; you will recover from it. How fast you recover is up to you!

There is some truth to the saying “it’s not personal, it’s just business.” If you receive a rejection letter from an editor, think of it this way: it was not the right opportunity for you. Ask yourself this question, “Do I want to write for a publication that may not be right for me?” You might find out later that the publication does not pay its writers on time or at all. Rejection can be a blessing in disguise.

You have two options, one is to keep writing and the other is to quit. It is suggested that you do the former. Big deal, you received a couple of rejection letters. If you’re lucky, perhaps the editors made notes on your travel articles. Take the advice and re-write your articles applying the advice from the editors. After you finished writing, compare your new articles to your former ones. See what a difference the advice made in your writing. You may be surprised.

Look for patterns that show up in your rejection letters. If five editors mention your constant spelling mistakes, this is an indication that you need someone else to proofread your articles. Ask a family member, co-worker, or friend who has an eye for detail to read and review your work. It will benefit you in the long run.

Move forward from rejection, keep writing, and join a writing group. Being surrounded by other travel writers will be a great support system. When you receive a rejection letter, ask a fellow travel writer to read the letter and your work. The feedback you’ll receive will be invaluable to your travel writing.

Receiving a rejection letter does not have to be a frightening experience. Take it all in stride and do not take it personally. Learn to remove your ego when you read a rejection letter. Remember that old saying “what doesn’t kill you will make you stronger!”

Rebecca

About Amandah Blackwell 198 Articles

Amandah Blackwell is a creative, freelance and ghost writer for industries that include but are not limited to the arts & entertainment, travel, publishing, real estate, pets, personal and professional development, and much more.

Amandah's personal writing projects include screenplays, teleplays, YA, non-fiction, short stories, and poetry. 

You can find more of her writing at www.MisticCafe.com, savvywritingcareers.wordpress.com, and www.savvy-writer.com.

You can follow Amandah on Twitter at:  http://twitter.com/savvy_writer

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