Can We Fast-Forward to the Good Part?
Why you need those rejections, plus TONS of writing resources
*For writing links and resources, scroll down.*
I love Greta Gerwig.
I love her as an actress. I love her as a writer/director. It’s hard to say which film I love more: Ladybird or Gerwig’s version of Little Women. I knew she’d do a great job with Barbie (and she did). And can we please talk about Mistress America?
Mistress America is a film from 2015, written by Greta Gerwig and her husband Noah Baumbach, and starring Greta Gerwig and adorably lisping Lola Kirke (sister of Jemima Kirke from Girls).
The film is a comedy about Tracy, a college Freshman and aspiring writer. Tracy writes a short story heavily based on her quirky, soon-to-be-stepsister Brooke (Gerwig). The portrayal is less-than-flattering and includes direct quotes from Brooke — bringing up interesting questions about what happens when a writer bases their fiction on their real-life friends and family.
I’m not going to discuss that question today (though it’s a good one). Instead, I’m going to tell you about a scene that struck me during my most recent watch of this film (and I have watched it many times). Tracy is talking to her friend Tony, who also wants to be a writer. They’re both annoyed because they submitted to the prestigious college literary society but didn’t get in. Tracy says, being completely serious, that she sometimes thinks she’s just smarter and better than everyone. And Tony replies:
“Sometimes I think I'm a genius. And I wish I could just fast-forward my life to the part where everyone knows it.”
Completely bombastic, of course, as only a college Freshman can be.
And yet, secretly, maybe we’ve all had this feeling at one time or another...
Can we just skip ahead?
In most aspiring writers lives there is a period of time (sometimes a very long period) in which we are submitting pieces for publication, applying for grants, querying agents, entering contests… and amassing a huge pile of rejections. We know our stuff is good, and we wish we could skip over this humiliating part where we have to prove ourselves, and get to the point where our writing has been acknowledged by the powers that be as “good enough.”
We think once we have an agent, an MFA, a book deal, a title on the bestseller list, THEN we’ll be able to relax because we’ve finally been validated. We can write blissfully, without the stress of having to prove ourselves.
I certainly remember feeling this way after years of querying agents with multiple projects. Why couldn’t someone just notice my amazing talent and put me out of my misery?
But what I realize now is this: when I first started querying, my novels weren’t as good as I thought they were. I often queried too soon, when the project could have used another major revision or two. One of my novels was too slow, another had a “mushy middle.” One of them just wasn’t very good.
Genius I was not.
As my rejections reached the sky, I wrote more novels. I read Save the Cat Writes a Novel. I attended workshops. I got more beta readers. I revised and revised and revised. My plotting improved and my pacing tightened. I looked closely at my first pages and my line-level writing. And finally, with my eighth complete novel, I signed with the wonderful agent I have today, Ali Lake of O’Conner Literary.
Turns out I couldn’t skip ahead to the good part because I had a lot to learn in that long stage of misery. Sometimes you need the rejections to push you into becoming a better writer. To force you to understand that you’re not the genius you think you are. To make you take a long, critical look at your own writing and see it for what it really is. We all have room for improvement.
Perhaps thirty years ago you might have been able to get an agent or editor based on a glimmer of talent — agents were more willing then to take on a diamond in the rough. But these days agents and publishers are busier than ever. They don’t have time to dig out the good stuff and polish it — you have to do that yourself. These days writers have to be their own editors, both developmental and on the line level. (Or you need to find someone to help you edit.) When you send off your manuscript, it has to be as good as it can possibly be.
And what that means is you have to put your ego in check and be hard on yourself. You can’t skip over the hard part because that’s where the learning happens.
Of course, you can also do what Tracy does in Mistress America and start your own literary magazine. Sometimes we’re all so desperate for outside validation that we stop enjoying the creative process. Inward satisfaction is important, too. I know plenty of people who stopped pursuing traditional publishing and the stamp of approval from others. With self-publishing, you get to tell yourself yes, and that can feel pretty great, too. (Although I still think it’s important to only put your book out there when it’s as good as it can possibly be.)
Writing News & Resources:
For All Writers:
Nathan Bransford sums up 2023 in the book and publishing world.
The NYC Midnight Short Story Challenge (a great way to spark your creativity in the new year!) kicks off on January 19.
Sign up for April Davila’s free webinar: How to Turn Your Half-Finished Novel into a Completed Manuscript. Sign up for one of the four sessions she’s offering: Jan. 11, 13, 15, or 17.
The Writers Center website is a GREAT resource for finding grants, fellowships, residencies & retreats, publishers (who publish non-agented authors), and literary journal opportunities.
FREE upcoming webinars from The Good Story Company:
Ready Chapter 1 is a community-powered platform connecting book publishers with undiscovered writers. Find peer critiques and more.
Writer’s Digest offers tons of online classes and workshops like the virtual Novel Writing Conference January 12-14.
Blue Pencil Agency offers workshops, online events, and writing competitions. Check them out.
The Book Pipeline Adaptation Contest seeks published books, graphic novels, short stories, and plays for film and TV adaptation. Winner and runner-up receive extensive development with execs and circulation to producers. Deadline: February 15th.
Check out all the many upcoming online craft workshops from Savvy Authors!
Writing Workshops also offers lots of online classes in fiction, nonfiction, poetry, picture books, and the business of writing.
StoryStudio Chicago presents: Pub Crawl: Learn, Pitch, Publish at their virtual Month-Long Publishing Intensive, Feb. 1-29, 2024. (They also have tons of other classes, events and workshops, so check out the StoryStudio website.)
If you don’t listen to the podcast The Shit No One Tells You About Writing, I recommend it. ALSO, they will be doing a virtual, interactive 10-week “Deep Dive Series” in which you can ask questions directly in real time. January 16-March 19.
Need a template for a nonfiction book proposal? Here’s one from Neon Literary!
The Women’s Fiction Writers Association has a TON of free writing workshops, critique groups, and webinars, plus upcoming mentorship opportunities.
Check out the meet-up group called Shut Up & Write. There are in-person chapters all over the country, as well online events.
The Writer’s Atelier has a free online writing community with virtual events. If you're local to the Orlando, Florida area, they also have in-person events as well!
Thinking about going to a conference or applying for a residency in 2024? Check out the free searchable database on Poets & Writers.
The Yale Review is accepts pitches on a rolling basis. Seeking diverse, sharp, intelligent voices on a wide range of subjects, from literature, art, history, and politics to film, television, music, & more.
The folks at Cheshire Novel Prize host a FREE group on their private app called Writers Space where you can talk about writing, ask for BETA readers, and connect with other writers.
Ready to submit a story? Check out this list of 40 Free Writing Contests! And of course, check out NewPages for submission calls from literary magazines and journals.
The Chestnut Review for stubborn artists are always open for submissions and they pay $120/piece. They promise to respond in 30 days, which is HUGE in the lit mag space. Free submissions in most genres and free issues online, plus paid feedback options. They also offer workshops and international retreats.
Check out my list of writing and publishing resources — my very favorite books, websites, and podcasts on writing, publishing, and the creative life.
For KidLit Writers:
The WriteMentor 2024 Novel & Picture Book Award is looking for new writing talent in Picture Books, Chapter Books, Middle Grade, and Young Adult.
Submissions open now until January 31.
Come out for the in-person Young Adult Novelist Convention (YANovCon) on Saturday, February 3 at the South San Francisco Library | Parks & Recreation Center.
Wild Ink Publishing has a call for submissions for the following anthology:
Clio’s Curious Dash Through Time Anthology: Poems and short stories appropriate for middle grade readers (5th-8th grade). This anthology is about historical, contemporary, and futuristic materials. We would like to give readers a timeline of stories focusing on the beginning of time, through to the most fantastical futuristic idea you can possibly imagine. Deadline: January 15.
SCBWI Members (Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators), the in-person and virtual annual conference will be held February 9-11 in NYC (and online).
Literary Rambles has information on kidlit agents and agent interviews.
From Bitsy Kemper’s blog: over 100 publishers accepting unsolicited picture book manuscripts. (Updated June 2023)
Check out this incredible list of upcoming events for KidLit writers!
For Querying Writers:
Here’s a list of small publishers, most of which do not require agents.
Here’s a query letter template from agent Samantha Wekstein and lots of querying advice from agent Eric Smith.
Find a long list of example query letters on Quite the Query.
Every Friday, Operation Awesome offers one free query critique through their #QueryFriday contest.
Some months I will chose one subscriber for a FREE submission package critique. Send me your query letter and the first two pages of your manuscript, and, if you’re the winner of the month, I will send you back in-depth feedback on both. Interested in receiving a critique? Fill out the form here.
Writing Conferences & Events:
Live in the mid-Atlantic region and looking for a writing retreat get-away?
2024 Creative Writing Retreats at ZigBone Farm. Just one hour from DC/Baltimore areas in Maryland's Catoctin Mountains with award-winning writer Diana Friedman. Happening January 12-17 and again April 7-12. This retreat is for all writers who want help getting started, shaping and refining existing work, as well as time to write and bond with other writers. Maryland residents can apply for a grant to help cover costs!
The Writer’s Retreat at Good Contrivance Farm. Need to get away and spend time with your writing? Open year-round, the only requirement for this peaceful retreat north of Baltimore is that you intend to use the time and space to work on your writing. The hen house cottage and barn loft normally book about two months in advance.
The Writing Day Workshop “How to Get Published” Conferences will held both online and in person this year. I attended one of these conferences in person a few years ago, and I thought it was fantastic. I can’t vouch for the virtual version, but there are some benefits: recorded classes, no travel expenses, attend in your comfy pants. Plus, sign up for pitch sessions with agents for $29 a piece. Check out the upcoming conferences:
Writers Digest offers loads of virtual conferences on a variety of publishing and writing craft topics.
AWP 2024 will be held in Kansas City February 7-10 2024, and early bird registration and community scholarship applications are now open!
FREE Virtual Conference from The Writer’s Workout is coming March 2024 -- sign up now to stay in the loop!
Apply for the NYC Publishing Workshop, held April 4-7, 2024, and check out the other writing workshops, retreats, and events from Writing Workshops.
Save the date for the Washington Writers Conference, being held in Bethesda, MD May 3-4, 2024.
Save the date for the awesome Gaithersburg Book Festival (in the DC area): May 18, 2024.
For more writing conferences, check out this list or the free searchable database on Poets & Writers.
Love this reflection: "Sometimes you need the rejections to push you into becoming a better writer. To force you to understand that you’re not the genius you think you are. To make you take a long, critical look at your own writing and see it for what it really is. We all have room for improvement." Thank you Eva!!!
Mistress America was an incredible film and nobody talks about it. A punch to the gut with tenderness—that real talent shines. Note—I did not mention fame🎈