The reality is, however, that many people who write do not submit their writing to publishers. Of those that do go that extra step, very few are actually accepted for publication. Publishers send out far more rejection letters than acceptance letters.

Rejection of one’s writing is often based on merit; the work is just not good enough.

Rejection is also based on appropriateness; many writers send the wrong type of material to publishers because they haven’t done their homework. Sending an article about pigs to a magazine about knitting is a sure way to be rejected (unless your article is about how you taught your pig to knit).

Rejection is also based on purely economic grounds; the publisher may consider your wonderful novel not financially viable - they are in the business of making a profit, after all.

Rejection may be based on timing; the magazine may have published a similar article several months prior to your submission.

Coping with rejection

Rejection can be for a wide range of reasons, but no rejection is easy on the feelings. I’ve had my fair share of rejection letters over the years. It is hard not to take it personally. I try to remember that the publisher is rejecting my writing; he or she is not rejecting me as a person. Still - the self esteem can take a battering. I also try to remember that even great and well known writers get rejection letters. My lecturer, Rosanne Hawke at university was sharing recently that one of her novels had been rejected many times. This was despite the fact that it is a great story (she let me read the manuscript), she has had more than a dozen novels already published and she has won numerous awards.

Returns

During the last semester we had children’s writer Janeen Brian as a guest speaker. She has a very positive attitude to rejection letters. She calls them ‘returns’ instead. She just takes it as all being in a day’s work; that’s just one publisher she can cross off the list for that particular story, poem or article. Send it off to another publisher.

Another lecturer told the story of a fellow writer he knew when he lived in the USA. This writer received so many rejection letters for his book that he actually managed to publish the book - complete with all the rejection letters! Nice twist.

Keep submitting

The secret is not to get too down about ‘returns’. Keep sending your writing out - eventually you will find someone who will accept your work. And while you are waiting for that wonderful letter saying ‘the cheque is in the mail’ keep writing, and keep sending out your writing.

Good writing.

One of the ideas impressed upon me by most of the lecturers and tutors last semester was the importance of striving to improve one’s writing. There is always room for change and improvement in any manuscript, whether that be a story, novel, article, essay or poem. The writer should always aim at producing the very best piece of writing. Careful editing, proofreading and rewriting are all part of this process.

How can we improve our writing?

There are many ways of improving your writing. Here is a list of some ways of making improvements. It is not an exhaustive list; I am sure you can think of many more. You can share them in the comments section. I’d like that.

• Check your spelling. Have a good dictionary handy - or access one online.
• Check that your work is grammatically correct. Let someone who has a good understanding of grammar check your work.
• Check that you have used the correct punctuation.
• Read out your text aloud; if you stumble over a word or phrase it may indicate that there is a problem with that sentence.
• Get someone else to read the text aloud to you.
• Watch out for obscure words; a simpler word may be better, and lead to better reader comprehension.
• Watch out for long sentences; they can easily ramble on for far too long and this can lead to reader confusion and hinder communication. Many readers will just give up and go to something else.
• Cut out all unnecessary and superfluous words. Be ruthless.
• Consider every word - have you used the right word?

The list could go on and on.

The most productive and effective way to improve your writing I’ve left out of the list above.

If you really want to improve your writing, just keep writing. The more you write the better you will become.

Good writing.

Writing can be very enjoyable, it can be frustrating and it can be downright hard work. I wouldn’t have it any other way. If it was always easy I think I’d soon get bored with it. Struggling over a few lines of a poem or reworking a short story or even starting a chapter of a novel over again can be very rewarding when it all comes together. The finished work is often much better as a result of the struggle.

Hard work has its reward.

I’ve learned that lesson in a very graphic way over the last week or so. I’ve dismantled a patio area ready for a new concrete slab to be poured. It all came together yesterday. Now we can stand back and admire the result of all that hard work in preparation. Mind you - the job is not yet finished. There is still much more to be done, but we can clearly see the way ahead. Hard work certainly has its reward.

I am determined to work hard at my writing, struggling through the tough times so I can enjoy the good times.

Good writing.

A new concrete slab being poured in our back yard.

There are other benefits too. Writers are readers, first and foremost. If you are not a reader you will struggle to be an effective writer. Period. The picture book genre is a particularly demanding one. A very restricted word count means that every word is important. There has to be balance between the text and the illustrations. Some publishers require a strictly limited vocabulary while others have restricted themes or topics. It is a very competitive field and one that is hard to break into.

Half way through the first semester I had to write and submit the text of a 700 word picture book to the lecturer. The title changed several times during the editing period but it eventually became “Brave Alice,” the story of a little lamb who pretended not to be afraid. The idea came from seeing a flock of lambs frolicking in a paddock in the mid-north of our state (South Australia) about four years ago. The concept simmered away happily until crunch time came; I had to submit a text as an assignment. Would it be good enough? The lecturer - and my fellow students - were a part of the development process, all giving valuable feedback as I developed the text.

The final day came and I submitted the manuscript to the lecturer. A few weeks later I received it back: Distinction. I should not have worried. While that result was very satisfying for all the work put into the text, it counts for very little. The big test is to submit it to a publisher. The frightening prospect of the manuscript being returned still awaits me.

Perhaps I should be like Alice in my story: Be Brave!

Computers have transformed my writing life. I certainly would not like to return to using a typewriter. I still have one lurking somewhere in the garage; the ink on the ribbon probably dried up a decade ago. (Can you still buy ribbons? Can you still buy typewriters for that matter?) I find typing on a computer keyboard far easier than the kluncky old typewriter. Editing is so much easier too. Printing out one’s work is simply the press of a button. Aaaah - we have it so easy these days.

That’s when they work.

I’ve been having some massive computer problems over the last two months. Well - internet access problems to be more precise. I haven’t been able to access the internet for all that time, except for two brief periods. I’ve had to rely on my wife’s computer to do basic things like read my email. Finally today I managed to solve the problem. An upgrade to my Norton’s Anti virus software was the culprit. Absolutely crippled my internet connection. Not happy. My son (the techie of the family) talked me step by step through the solution. I’ve now installed a completely new anti virus programme and all is now back to normal. Needless to say, Norton is now a nasty word in our household.

Truth is - I haven’t been able to post for quite a while due to several factors. First - I was extremely busy getting all my assignments finished for the university Creative Writing course I am doing. Secondly, we were away for a few days. The third reason for not posting was the massive computer problems I was having - this has persisted for over a month and I was too busy to get it all sorted out. I hope that this will be resolved in the coming days so I can get back to normal again. I have so many things to write about before the next semester commences in a few weeks.

In the meantime, how about going to the various categories listed on the side bar and finding some interesting articles to read about writing. Or perhaps read some of my short stories or poetry. And don’t forget to leave a comment or two here and there. Your feedback is much appreciated.

Where do ideas come from?

I seem to have no trouble coming up with ideas for writing. They just seem to be everywhere. I usually have far too many story ideas to use myself - that’s why I often feature short story starters here on my blog.

My problem is having enough hours in each day to use all those ideas that just pop into my head. Then there are those things I see or hear or read that immediately present themselves as story ideas. The writer in me always has the “writer’s antenna” finely tuned for an idea. Here are some examples:

1. While watching television recently there was a short item about giraffes. One short sentence gave me an idea for a children’s picture book. I can’t tell you here - I haven’t written the story which I think would be great so I don’t want anyone to steal the idea. (Sorry)
2. I wrote a children’s novel once from inspiration received during a sermon at church.
3. While travelling in my home state of South Australia we drove past a paddock full of lambs. From this came the idea for a children’s picture book.
4. The phrase “Barney goes Berserk” popped into my head during a writing workshop. Who was Barney? Why was he going berserk? From that idea came the idea of a fish called Barney. I wrote a children’s picture book with that title - I’ll be sending it off to a publisher very soon.
5. Some time ago I was thinking about my friend Harry. What if life had dealt (a fictional) Harry a severe blow? What would his life be like? A short story came from that idea.

None of these ideas may sound earth shattering at first. Each of them stayed with me long enough to germinate into a story. Sometimes that germination takes days or weeks, sometimes it may take years. When talking to an elderly relative four years ago I heard the voice of a character and knew that here was the idea for a novel for adults. At this point it is only an idea with merely a few sentences written down. One day I hope that this will blossom into a three or four hundred page novel.

Just one warning: when you have an idea for a story, jot it down. Unless you do that the idea may be lost forever.

Find an Ideas place

I recently read of one writer’s special place for getting ideas for writing. This author always had his ideas in the shower. So that he didn’t lose any ideas, he bought a waterproof notepad and pen from a scuba diving shop. If an idea comes during a shower he immediately records the idea. Brilliant.

Good writing - and may all your ideas turn into great stories.

Raindrops on rooftops
And glistening fresh tree leaves
Are delights of spring.

© 2008 Trevor W. Hampel

All rights reserved.

© 2008 Trevor W. Hampel

All rights reserved.

One of the things that Rosanne impressed upon us from the very beginning was the importance of reading picture books - as many as we can get our hands on. I’ve always read plenty of picture books, first when I was a teacher librarian, and then as a classroom teacher.

When I retired from teaching four years ago I drifted away from reading picture books as regularly as I used to do. Rosanne has given me the impetus and reason for getting back into this exciting and enjoyable area of books. So once again I’ve reactivated the use of my library card and I am borrowing ten or fifteen a week to read. And I’m thoroughly enjoying the activity.

There is another incentive: we need to keep a reading log of what we are reading, as well as write some short reviews of the books we read. This is a required, assessable component of the course. It is a very enjoyable part of the course I might add.

Good writing.

Good reading.