Rejected!

At a recent writers' critique group meeting, one of the members read a short-short, sometimes referred to as flash fiction (although this was a true story). She had submitted it to the one market she thought would be a perfect fit, but she received a rejection letter. So she came to the group with this question: "How do I fix the story?"

It was already a powerful, moving piece, so I told her she should ask a different question: "Where else can I submit it?"

There are four main ways I respond to rejection, whether as a writer or in other aspects of life, and I bet many of you have had the same experience. Here they are:

• As a writer, I submit material that isn't ready and then blame the publisher for not recognizing my "brilliant" work. In life, I sometimes blame others for rejection rather than asking whether my actions were ill-thought-out and easily misunderstood.
• Better is the opposite response. As a writer, I may realize that my material wasn't ready to be submitted and use the rejection as an opportunity to rework and improve it. In life, I may realize that the fault lies at least partly with me and attempt to correct the situation.
• Then there are those instances where I submit a polished manuscript but respond to a rejection letter by asking, "how do I fix?" when the correct question is, "where else can I submit it?" This was my friend's reaction. In life, I may try to "fix" something by conforming to the world's standards when the correct response is to reject those standards and keep going.
• And sometimes I do. As a writer, I may recognize that I had submitted a polished manuscript and look for other places to submit it. Only God can create something that is perfect, and there comes a time in any manuscript when I need to stop making changes and simply keep submitting. In life, I need to accept that I will never be perfect in this world but press on anyway.

How do you respond to rejection?

Brighten It Up

One of the nicest things about living in a condo? No yard work.

Roland is happy that he doesn't have to cut the grass, and I'm happy that I don't have to plant flowers. But that doesn't mean we would be happy with a blah exterior.

Although the condo association does a nice job with the landscaping, it doesn't decorate our balcony for us. That's my job, and it's an easy one. I just buy some already-potted flowering plants and set them out. Instant color that brightens up our corner of the building.

Last month we also brightened up our entrance. From the common area inside the building, you look down a long hall and see the door that leads into our condo. When we moved in, the door was flat and tired, and it created the impression that you were in a college dormitory or a cheap motel. After living with it--and hating it--for a year, we finally bought a new door with raised panels and a nautical knocker. It looks much classier.

No matter where I live, there is always something I can do to create a pleasant atmosphere and cheer myself up. It may be as simple as putting flowers on the table or a picture on the wall.

Are your surroundings bringing you down? It takes only a little effort to brighten them--and you--up.

For Mother's Day

 

For Mother's Day

 

More precious than diamonds,
Sweeter than chocolate,
Lovelier than roses,
More delicious than gourmet meals.

Mothers. 

Necklaces, rings, and bracelets,
Cadbury, Godiva, and Fannie May,
Fragrant Damask and climbing Floribunda,
Breakfast in bed and restuarant buffets.

Mother's Day gifts.

But best of all are happy children,
An ocassional "thank you,"
Sentimental verses sincerely meant,
Hugs and kisses.

Love.
 

© 2013 by Kathryn Page Camp

Technology Tidbits

I spent the weekend in Fort Wayne, Indiana, at the Wild Wild Midwest Conference sponsored by the Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, and Michigan regions of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. The conference was informative, but it was also exhausting. So instead of writing a more thoughtful post, I will give you a short list of what I learned or was reminded about technology over the weekend.

• I can listen to a book on my iPod while driving, but the voice on the GPS will drown it out at the most crucial point in the story.
• GPS isn't always helpful, either. I asked it to take me from the conference to a nearby church, and it told me to proceed to Coliseum Blvd. Unfortunately, that wasn't one of the cross roads, and I had no idea how to proceed to it. So I took a guess and turned the wrong way, after which my GPS recalculated and gave me the necessary instructions. Coming back from church it still wanted me to proceed to Coliseum Blvd. without telling me how to get there. Fortunately, I remembered enough to retrace my steps.
• Technology is the difference between a contemporary church service and a traditional one. If you put a couple of screens in front of the church and plug a guitar and a keyboard into a sound system, all you have to do is add a few newer songs to a traditional service and you can call it contemporary.
• Twitter is on its way out--and I haven't even signed up yet.
• A cell phone does me no good if I don't turn it on.

Still, I'd rather live with technology than without it.

Writers in Wonderland

How can writers avoid a Lewis Carroll Wonderland of defamation lawsuits, plagiarism scandals, and IRS proceedings?

By reading my book.

Writers in Wonderland: Keeping Your Words Legal (KP/PK Publishing 2013) is coming out May 1, and it's time for some shameless promotion.

Many writers see the law as a Lewis Carroll fantasy--inside out and totally illogical. They would rather write than worry about legal issues. But authors who ignore the law are the real residents of Wonderland.

Michael Poore, author of Up Jumps the Devil, says:

Kathryn Page Camp's Writers in Wonderland isn't just informative and wise, it is FUN! A big part of writing is learning how to cause trouble without getting into trouble, and this book is an easy course for accomplishing that. You can read it straight through, or keep it on hand as a reference tool. Either way, you'll find what you need to know in here. You will find it easily, it will make sense, and the reading will be a pleasure. Finally, a lawyer who can be helpful without making us want to scream.

Writers in Wonderland was written for writers, not lawyers. It uses everyday language and shares cases with interesting facts to explain the basic legal principles of interest to writers. These include copyrights and defamation and book contracts.

Here is some information:

ISBN: 978-0-9892504-1-2
Available May 1 at Amazon.com, coming soon from other retailers.

So if you are a writer, join Lewis Carroll and his characters as they help you avoid the King and Queen of Hearts' courtroom. And if you know a writer or two, pass this information along.

Because lawsuits aren't nearly as much fun as this book is.

It's Not a Win if We Don't Give In

Not a win for the terrorists, that is.

America--no, the world--was saddened this past week by the events at the Boston Marathon. But terrorism didn't win. We will go on. Terrorism didn't stop yesterday's London Marathon, and it won't stop the Chicago Marathon, either. Oh, the organizers will take a few extra precautions, but thousands of marathons will continue to be held.

Take the London Marathon. The organizers increased security but went ahead as planned. Great Britain is used to terrorism attacks and has long known how to minimize them at events with large crowds.

Roland and I took the kids on vacation to England and Scotland in 1996, and while there we went to see the Tattoo. The Tattoo is an annual review presented by military bands and (bag)pipe and drum corps. It is held outdoors on the Edinburgh Castle esplanade during three weeks in August. As you can see from the picture, it's a big event.

On the way to the performance, we stopped and got ice cream bars. Three of us had finished ours and thrown the garbage away before we went through the gate, but John was still eating his. When he finished, we looked around for a trash can. We couldn't find one, so Roland asked a guard where they were. The guard told him that there weren't any garbage cans because that is where the IRA likes to plant its bombs. He told Roland to throw the trash on the ground, but as well trained as we are not to litter, Roland put the messy stick and wrapping in his pocket, instead.

The point is, there are precautions that event organizers can--and probably should--take, but terrorism threats can't stop us from holding those events. If they do, the terrorists win. And that isn't an option.

Psalm 27 says, "The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?" (Psalm 27:1, ESV)

Not terrorists.

Gone Again

I love being an empty nester.

I also love it when my children come home for a visit.

And when they leave again, I have mixed feelings.

That probably makes me an average mother of adult children, which is okay.

John has been home on leave for a month after finishing his Navy schooling. Yesterday he left for his first ship, the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln, which is currently refueling the nuclear reactors that power the ship and undergoing an overhaul in Newport News, Virginia. These overhauls take so long that John could spend the rest of his Navy career on a ship that never leaves the dock. (Unlike the U.S.S. John Stennis in the picture, which Roland and I saw when we were in Hawaii several years ago.)

Roland is cheering because he got his office back. (It doubles as John's bedroom.) I'm cheering because I won't worry about my 26-year-old son when he is out with friends until 2:00 a.m. Yes, I know he is a responsible adult, but I'm still a mom. (Not that parents ever stop worrying about their children, but I'm less likely to worry about things I don't know.)

And I'm happy that my adult children have lives of their own. We raised them to be independent, so should I complain because we succeeded?

Not I.