Last week, I was inspired by a post from Michael Hyatt titled, The Power of Asking the Right Questions about a friend of his that after a year of being out of work and landing interviews (but no job offers), became discouraged and began asking, “What’s wrong with me?” and “Why won’t someone offer me a job?”
Michael reminded me that our minds are powerful tools: what you put in is what you'll get out. By feeding our brain negative thoughts, the results will simply spiral us into self-doubt and despair. Instead, we need to nourish our mind with the right questions, such as, “What can I do to make my interviews more memorable?”
I realized this great advice could also be applied to writers who are all too familiar with rejection letters. When this happens, if you find yourself questioning your writing abilities or consider abandoning your story, then hopefully replacing them with these questions will put you on a more successful path:
“Does my book/query letter need additional editing?” It’s often difficult to be completely impartial on your own work, especially if you’re a first time author. Two things are most critical: your first chapter and the one paragraph summary/description. In today’s world of sound bites and 140 character news snippets, it’s mandatory that you hook your reader in early, using the fewest words possible.
“How can I create attention grabbing text?” If you don’t have a background in marketing, it’s pretty difficult to write a query letter on your own. Maybe all you need are a few techniques and tweaks to get the attention you need? Having these skills will also be necessary even if you sign a book contract. Today, most marketing is the author’s responsibility.
“Should I publish this myself?” If you’re passionate enough about getting your story told, the many rejections could be a sign that you’re simply on the wrong publishing path. Fortunately, it’s never been a more exciting time to choose this option.
How do you remain positive when faced with rejection? What questions would you add to this list? We'd love to hear your thoughts.
Andrea Bandle
Writer/Editor, Co-Founder
@HelpMeSelfPub
editor@helpmeselfpublish.com
Michael reminded me that our minds are powerful tools: what you put in is what you'll get out. By feeding our brain negative thoughts, the results will simply spiral us into self-doubt and despair. Instead, we need to nourish our mind with the right questions, such as, “What can I do to make my interviews more memorable?”
I realized this great advice could also be applied to writers who are all too familiar with rejection letters. When this happens, if you find yourself questioning your writing abilities or consider abandoning your story, then hopefully replacing them with these questions will put you on a more successful path:
“Does my book/query letter need additional editing?” It’s often difficult to be completely impartial on your own work, especially if you’re a first time author. Two things are most critical: your first chapter and the one paragraph summary/description. In today’s world of sound bites and 140 character news snippets, it’s mandatory that you hook your reader in early, using the fewest words possible.
“How can I create attention grabbing text?” If you don’t have a background in marketing, it’s pretty difficult to write a query letter on your own. Maybe all you need are a few techniques and tweaks to get the attention you need? Having these skills will also be necessary even if you sign a book contract. Today, most marketing is the author’s responsibility.
“Should I publish this myself?” If you’re passionate enough about getting your story told, the many rejections could be a sign that you’re simply on the wrong publishing path. Fortunately, it’s never been a more exciting time to choose this option.
How do you remain positive when faced with rejection? What questions would you add to this list? We'd love to hear your thoughts.
Andrea Bandle
Writer/Editor, Co-Founder
@HelpMeSelfPub
editor@helpmeselfpublish.com
