Monday Motivation: You Will Fail

This is something everyone faces, writer or not. Job interviews unanswered, break-ups, and of course, rejection letters. Creative types can take these failures pretty hard. I know I did for a long time, and depending on the rejection, I still do. 

I remember going on an interview for a now-defunct animation studio. They made some of my favorite non-Disney animated movies. I completely BOMBED the interview. They asked if there was anything I wasn’t willing to do. I said there was nothing, as every job is important, but a task I don’t like doing is picking up dog poop.

Yes, I talked about dog crap in a professional interview. WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME? Of course I left the interview feeling like a moron. But still, I held out hope I would get it. I wanted it so bad. 

I got a rejection email maybe a week later. I floated aimlessly in the intex blowup pool in my parents’ backyard. I was… the absolute worst. I would never get a job in the entertainment industry. I was a LOSER. I am a wallower.

A few weeks later, I got an invitation to join the app Episode. It was my first paid writing gig, and had I accepted a job at the animation studio, I would never have time to write for Episode. 

So yes, rejection sucks. It hurts. When I’m querying my novel to agents and managers, I’ve kind of become numb to the noes. Sometimes when I thought an agent would be a really great fit, I wallow. Most times I just go to my spreadsheet and highlight the agent’s row in red, signifying a no. I’m hoping in the future I can highlight one green.

Every success story has failure, and a lot of it. Eventually you will develop a callus. And yes, even with your hardened skin, sometimes arrows will pierce through. But just keep going, knowing this is all part of the process. Whether you’re a writer, musician or just another college graduate trying to navigate the job market, remember, every no gets you closer to a yes.