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Monday, April 2, 2012

B is for Badge of Honor

Eldest is a girl scout and she can tell you - they don't give out badges, you earn them.

I recently topped 10 form rejections and was looking for a way to, okay, not celebrate the fact, but to acknowledge them and turn them from the scarlet R of shame to a badge of honor. I mean, I earned these suckers. I polished my novel until it shone like the top of the Chrysler Building. I did my agent research. I wrote (50+ times) my query letter. I put my most vulnerable self out there. And in return, 10 times and counting, I got a form rejection email. Sometimes they were nicely worded, sometimes they were Dear Author types. All of them were crushing in their own way, but hey, I survived. I deserve a freaking badge.

So that's what my husband did, he made me my first badge o' rejection:



















I'm quite proud of it. It shows I'm dedicated. It proves I haven't given up. And turning a negative into a fortifying positive, well, that's something of a past time for me.

How do you turn rejection into a badge of honor?

B is also for Band of Horses. This is one of my fave songs ever:







25 comments:

  1. Lol, nice badge! No doubt I will be needing one of those myself sometime in the future!

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  2. Aww, that is the most awesome thing ever! Wear it with pride!

    Happy Monday!
    Jaycee's A-Z

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  3. LOL! I love the "Blah blah blah... No." That's so perfect, because after all, that's what a form rejection is--a polite way of saying "no" without getting specific. I'm not knocking the FR. Personally, I prefer it to "no response means no." At least you know the agent saw your query, decided *for whatever reason* it wasn't for him or her, and let you know so you can strike them off the list and move on (after an appropriate period of mourning).

    I'm glad you're putting a positive spin of the Form Rejection. We all have to learn to cope with them because we all get them. I don't know if I've ever read any author who didn't have a good number of Form Rejections under their belt before they ever got published. You are part of an illustrious group, Alex. And the badge is well-earned. :)

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Colin. The blah blah blah is pretty much how we writer's decipher a rejection - no matter how nice or gentle - it sounds like Charlie Brown's teacher from Peanuts! And I agree,'no response is a no' is eeeevil.

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  4. Um, I seriously think you could market those. Badges, t-shirts, the works. I would so buy a badge of rejection T-shirt.

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  5. All right, I love that badge. And I agree with Jaye. You could totally market those. I want a sticker and a refrigerator magnet. =)

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  6. I LOVE IT! Well ... I mean I love that he made the badge ... I hate rejections. But if I were to EARN that particular badge for every 10 rejections I've received, I'd need a whole SASH full of badges. *sigh*

    Thanks for making me laugh about it though!!

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  7. I think you need to market that badge. It could be a best seller/earner? Great post - new follower :)

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    Replies
    1. Thanks guys - after hearing from you on the marketing angle, I've asked designer husband to whip something together on cafe press. Who knows?

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  8. Turning a negative into a positive - bravo!

    And I'd like one of those badges too - I have enough rejection slips to paper a room ;-)


    SueH I refuse to go quietly!

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    1. Imagine if we all got our rejection notes together and placed them end to end - how many times would they circle the earth? And still we try. We're AWESOME!

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  9. That badge is awesome! I love the 'Blah blah blah...no" :D I'm sure it's hard receiving those rejections, but if you think that each rejection puts you closer to an offer... Best of luck with your querying!

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    1. Man, I hope so. There's always a sneaking suspicion that rejection just brings more rejection - like when you're afraid you look too desperate that no one will ask you to dance - or is that just my recurring high school nightmare? Anyway, onward and upward for us all!

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  10. You could absolutely market those. Writers everywhere would want one!

    I got kicked out of the girl scouts. By my mother. I'm not sure if I should be proud of that or not. She said I didn't have the "girl scout attitude". :)

    Congrats on being rejected! That's a step I haven't even reached yet, so well done you!

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  11. I agree! Rejections are badges of honor. We writers wear them proudly. ")
    Great A-Z post!
    Nutschell
    www.thewritingnut.com

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  12. Love it! Going to retweet this one for you, because it's sooo true!

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  13. Hang in there, Alex. I think I got my first full request after the 10th form rejection. :)

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  14. I love Band of Horses! I'm also proud when I get a rejection because it means I accomplished writing a novel in the first place. :)

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    1. I'm with you on the music. My last book was written almost exclusively while listening to Band of Horses and Fleet Foxes.
      And that's a really smart way of thinking of it - rejection means you've got something to reject - my mom still doesn't quite believe I've written 80k+ words that actually make sense together!

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  15. Very clever! Love the blah blah badge. That's what a lot of those rejection letters really seem to be blabbing! Good luck with the query quest. I'm over from the A to Z fest. Coem visit! I'm #672.

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  16. What an amazing hubby you have in your corner! Wear that sucker with pride - it means 10 agents were willing to read your query and/or pages! That, in itself, is a HUGE accomplishment! Now, revise and go again!

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    Replies
    1. Daisy, it's one of my greatest accomplishments - recognizing at the tender age of 19 that this man was a keeper!

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  17. I love the badge, and the attitude it represents :-)

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