I’m going to attempt to not be a sourpuss while reporting that I am not one of the finalists for the $50,000 Gift of Freedom award from A Room of Her Own. And that’s going to be hard because I really, really wanted this award!
In my proposal I outlined plans to offer writing workshops to kids in underrepresented Brooklyn neighborhoods, as well as writing instruction for adults and free literary events throughout the borough and the city. But for whatever reason, my plans or application or WHO KNOWS didn’t qualify me to make the cut.
Besides having to find a different way to make these plans happen, my ego is also a little beat up. Okay, a lot beat up. Just yesterday, as I was researching literary journals and writing contests, I took a peek at my dashboard on Submittable and it was not fun:
It’s enough to make you quit!
But listen- life goes on. I still have work to do and kids to feed and I won’t wallow over these rejections for too long. Tonight, however, please believe that I will make a huge dent on my sofa while gorging on really bad films on Netflix. Just for tonight. Tomorrow I get back on the horse.
How do you deal with rejection (of your writing, grant proposals, etc)?
xoxo
Raquel Ivelisse