A Note on Rejections and Robert Frost

Big news. I got my first official agent rejection this week and I. Am. Pumped.

I know that probably sounds ridiculous. But did you know that the very reason that I started on this journey to becoming traditionally published is that I was excited for the rejections?

About a year ago, my aunt was in town visiting from Hawaii. My aunty is a nerd (just like me), so when she comes to New England, we fill our time with art museums, historic sites and every literary hot spot known to man. She has been here countless times over the past several decades, so it was a huge surprise to learn that she had never been to the Robert Frost Farm.

This being obviously unacceptable, we adventured there on a rather chilly weekday in early summer. The place was empty, so we got the luxury of a private tour. However, the tour guide was a little eccentric and painted a picture of Robert Frost that I was not familiar with. The story of a city slicker who was forced into life on a farm and who wrote poetry to pass the miserably dull days. The story of a kid who was actually from the west coast and left New England the second that he had the chance.

Let me tell you- I was crushed. It was nothing short of an existential crisis sort of situation. Robert Frost was a New England hero in my books. He was the first poet I studied in school, and one of my biggest inspirations. How could this possibly be?

I took the guide's word at face value, and for about a month, every time I thought about it, it really bothered me.

Eventually, I just couldn't take it anymore. I decided to conduct my very own research project, and I'm happy to report that I fell in love once again.

It turned out that while the tour guide had his facts (mostly) straight, he took it upon himself to embellish and skew things to paint this odd picture of my beloved Frost.

For instance, Frost was in fact born on the west coast and lived there until he was 11 years old. He did, in fact, leave New Hampshire and go to England in his adult life.

However, the reason for his trip to England was not because he was eager to leave behind rural country life. It was because he was tired of the constant rejection that he was facing from American publishers. He went to England for three years. He gained success in publishing, and then quickly returned home to New England.

My faith was restored. But I also began to ponder his rejection in the US. I knew countless other famous authors and poets had been rejected time and time again over the course of history. It was like a club. The Rejected Writers Club. Every writer has to join if they really want to get anywhere.

And I wanted in.

I began to write voraciously. I started reading about writing children's literature. I started reading about the process of becoming traditionally published. I joined SCBWI. I joined critique groups. I wrote and wrote and read and critiqued and wrote some more.

And finally, this week, I decided (somewhat on a whim) to begin to query agents. I had a few polished manuscripts ready to go, so what was I waiting for?

I sent out four queries to well researched agents whom I felt a connection to.

And not even 48 hours later I received my very first rejection.

It was an easy letdown from the lovely Laura Rennert, and I couldn't be more thrilled.

This week, I join the ranks with Robert Frost.

I am part of the club.

If you're a writer facing rejection from agents or publishers, I hope this helps to shift your perspective a little bit. If the club is good enough for Frost, it's good enough for you!

Happy writing (and happy rejections).

Authentically,

Savi