Web Writing Tips: Dealing With Rejection

by Lyn Lomasi, Staff Writer


You work hard on a project only to have it rejected by several publishers. Most writers have been there before -- times over. Producing content can also produce rejections by the handful at times. One of the hard lessons of staying successful in web writing is learning how to deal with rejection. When your work is rejected for publication, how do you react?

Use the rejection to gain knowledge.
Is there a reason the venue wouldn't publish your work? Did you gear it toward their audience and follow all of their guidelines? Is your grammar and spelling up to par? Does the content work for the web? Have too many people written on the topic from the same angle? These questions and more are some of the things you can ask yourself to figure out where you may have gone wrong with the content. There is something to be learned from every rejection. Sometimes it can be applied right away to a resubmission and other times you'll have to use it for future reference.

One rejection is not the end.
One venue is rejecting your work and you're ready to give up? Seriously? If I had given up on my first rejection, I'd probably still be working some dead-end job in retail, as that's where I have much of my work experience. There's nothing wrong with those positions but they are no longer for me. If you want to succeed in web writing, you can't let a tiny rejection distract you. They will happen -- and if you write often, they will happen often. It doesn't always mean you suck as a writer. It can mean that, but most of the time, it just means you need to either learn how to provide your client's needs or find another client (or several) that would be better suited to your writing style.

Content is not universal.
Just because one venue is not interested does not mean that no one will be. Your work is not necessarily crap because it doesn't fit in with one web publisher's ideal. Again, it might be crap. But if you know in your heart that it isn't, don't stop trying. If you enjoy the work and find it to be something of quality for the web world, chances are there is someone else who feels the same. If all else fails, publish it yourself, such as on a blog. No, this is not a last resort or a place to throw crap. If you comprise your blog of quality content, it will be seen as a quality blog.

Use the rejection as motivation.
Once you see what can be learned from the rejection and decide what you wish to do with the web content, get it done. Prove that your work truly is worth publishing and make it happen. This is not so much to get revenge on those who didn't publish you (their reasons could be valid and have nothing to do with you). This is to motivate yourself to do what you know you can do. Use all that frustration energy and put it into making your writing work for you.

Photo Credit: Tilemahos Efthimiadis via Flickr.com
www.flickr.com/photos/telemax/7035075623/sizes/l/

I originally published this content on Article Writer For Hire:
http://www.articlewriterforhire.com/1/post/2013/02/web-writing-motivation-dealing-with-rejection.html

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