Voices of Doubt

Authors’ stories of rejection are plastered all over the place, and I’m one of them.

This is my story!

With the completion of my very first manuscript, I felt euphoria. What a wonderful accomplishment. I sent the manuscript to an editor. He corrected the grammar, made some small changes and with the end of our transaction came his glorious reviews. I was on a high. I poured over tutorials to help me write a great query and synopsis. The same editor helped me polish it.

There was a new spring to my gait. I was on my way to becoming famous. This was going to be the Great American Novel. What a high.

I was prepared; manuscript completed, query and synopsis shining, literary agents were just ready to admire them. I sent out the first few queries. Visions of my name imprinted on the pages of history twinkled on the horizon.

Like scavenging birds of prey drawn to carcasses, the rejections began coming. And kept coming. Have I sent out that many queries? And every one a whack to the ego.

Then came voices of doubt. They showered me with ridicule; I was not good enough. I will never be good enough. What was I thinking? This little voices inside haunted me, telling me that And the more I read of other writers' accomplishments, the worse I felt.

After the steady stream of rejections, you’d think I’d have learned my lesson. I set out to edit my previously completed ‘masterpiece’ and went on to complete another manuscript, and now I’m on my third one. My heart still palpitates with excitement and I’m still stunningly optimistic.

So, to the voices of doubt in my head, I tell: I’ll forever be hopeful. I won’t give up. Not ever. I love writing too much to quit. I’ve made headway on my third novel, applying the skills I’ve gained from the hard trek of editing. Several short stories are in queue and I would keep on keeping on.