When your writing in a pickle, make a dill to keep up the efforts. Here’s why.
My new writer friend was in a writing pickle. She’d gotten her first rejection letter from a publisher and as hard as it is to put on a brave face, rejection hurts. Frustration sets in, a sense of unworthiness. Those roots of “failure” sink into fertile grounds of our minds. Perhaps I’m not as good as I thought.
“Maybe I just need to skip the writing part and just be a speaker.”
“Uh, no! This is a stepping stone, so step.”
Rejection, whether as a writer or any other place marker in our lives, stills stings. I’ve had my share and it turns our lives and hearts inside out. I could hear the sense of loss and disappointment in her voice, and there was nothing I could do.
“Wait a minute.” I said. “You don’t stop working to improve. You don’t give up just because one company said no.”
And you don’t.
Instead, let the words of rejection, be the fuel to success. Let those words be what spur you ahead to make the necessary changes, improve and be better.
That’s when I made the comparison of our work to that of making pickles.
I’ve stood over the kitchen counter slicing cucumbers. I’ve poked pint jars full of small rounded discs or long slices of juicy slices, then anticipated the sweet taste to come. Pickles aren’t pickles overnight. It’s a long process; just as life is a long process. There are steps to making nice, crunchy pickles and learning to hone the task, then waiting for the result takes time. If by chance, we miss a step or fudge (which by the way is something else that is a process), then our pickles fail.
I’ve watched my mother throw out cans of pickles because they spoiled instead of pickled. She would grow frustrated and wonder if she’d lost her skill – then out would come the recipe where she’d pour over each step, locating what she did wrong. The process, to be successful, required backtracking and evaluation, improvement, and determination. When the next batch was made, Mom followed the steps to the tee. The brine was poured over the cucumbers and the lids sealed. Jars were placed on a shelf “to make.” All we had to do was wait for success. And how sweet the taste of success is when the pickles are right.
Life is like making pickles. So is writing. It sometimes requires a do over. It takes practice and honing. And when we pop the seal on the jar and pull out a nice crunchy pickle, it’s a moment to savor.
When rejection or failed attempts plague you, pull out the recipe and hone the work. The next batch may be the perfect pickle.
Photo courtesy of www.morgefile.com & marykbaird
Assignment 6 - Creative Non-Fiction
2/15/2021 12:00:00 PM by: Cindy Sproles
Assignment 5 - Don't Waste Your Conference Experience
2/6/2021 7:00:00 PM by: Cindy Sproles
January 31, Assignment 4 - Bring Your Characters to Life
1/31/2021 7:00:00 AM by: Cindy Sproles
January 24, Assignment Four - Time to Shoot the Weasel Words
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Assignment 3 - The Role of Speaker Tags and Beats
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Assignment 2 (2 of 2) Week of January 10
1/13/2021 7:00:00 AM by: Andrea Merrell
January 10, Assignment 2 (1 of 2 assignments)
1/10/2021 7:00:00 AM by: Cindy Sproles
Assignment 1 - ACWC January 5 - Let's Start with a Bio
1/5/2021 11:25:00 AM by: Cindy Sproles
Assignment 8 & 9 - Titles & Sentences - Nancy Lohr
2/13/2020 7:29:00 PM by: Cindy Sproles
Assignment 7 - What in the World is a One Sheet - Andrea Merrell
2/7/2020 7:00:00 PM by: Cindy Sproles
February 1 - Assignments 5 & 6 - Linda Glaz
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Sensory Perception Enhances Your Writing - Assignment 4
1/26/2020 10:09:00 PM by: Cindy Sproles
Don't Write Your Bio - Write WHY ME? - Assignment 3
1/18/2020 7:00:00 PM by: Bob Hostetler
How to Make the Most of Your Conference Experience - Assignment 2
1/18/2020 4:15:00 PM by: Cindy Sproles
Appropriate Emails - [email protected] - Assignment 1
1/11/2020 7:47:00 PM by: Cindy Sproles
How Not to Get an Agent - Assignment 7
2/10/2019 5:47:00 PM by: Bob Hostetler
January 27 Assignment 5 -Storytelling Your Life Lessons
1/27/2019 8:55:00 PM by: Lucinda Secrest McDowell
It's Not What You Know; It's Who You Know - Assignment 4
1/20/2019 5:44:00 PM by: Bob Hostetler
Stay on Track with a Writing Schedule - Assignment 3
1/13/2019 7:35:00 PM by: Larry Leech
Assignment 2 - Finding Speaker Topics
1/5/2019 7:38:00 PM by: Beth Fortune
IMAGERY–WHEN THIS IS LIKE THAT
12/30/2018 9:00:00 PM by: By Ann Tatlock
Asheville Christian Writers Conference Privacy Policy
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2018 Writers Charge
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Last Chance - Assignment 7
2/11/2018 7:00:00 PM by: Cindy Sproles
An Adjective Safari - Assignment 6
2/4/2018 7:30:00 PM by: Denise Loock
Get in the Mood to Write - Assignment 5
1/28/2018 7:10:00 PM by: Larry J. Leech II
Getting Rid of “I” Disease - Assignment 3
1/14/2018 9:37:00 PM by: Andrea Merrell
Curb Your Adverb Addiction - Assignment 2
1/7/2018 7:30:00 PM by: Denise Loock
WHO ARE YOU? - Writing Your Bio
11/17/2017 7:30:00 AM by: Cindy Sproles
WRITING IN A PICKLE
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THE NaNoWriMo CHALLENGE
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BRINGING YOUR CHARACTERS TO LIFE
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DON’T LET SPEAKER BEATS RUIN YOUR MANUSCRIPT
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HOW TO CRAFT GREAT DIALOGUE
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AVOID REPETITION AND WRITE TIGHT
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THE QUOTATION QUOTA – ASSIGNMENT 2
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ELIMINATE THE EXCLAMATION POINTS – ASSIGNMENT 1
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MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR 15-MINUTE APPOINTMENTS
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ARRRGH! ANOTHER REJECTION – CINDY SPROLES
9/12/2016 3:59:00 PM by: by Cindy Sproles
FROZEN IN PLACE – ICEY SELF-TALK TO FREEZE YOUR WRITING
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THE BIO – THE FRAGRANCE OF WHO YOU ARE
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THE PAIN OF UNSOLICITED
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REDUNDANCY: AN EXCESSIVE, OPPRESSIVE, PERVASIVE DISEASE
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7 THINGS TO DO NOW TO BE READY WHEN WRITING INSPIRATION STRIKES – EDIE MELSON
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MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR 15-MINUTE CONFERENCE APPOINTMENTS
8/20/2016 3:36:00 PM by: by Cindy Sproles
WHY SHOULD I ATTEND THE ASHEVILLE CHRISTIAN WRITERS’ CONFERENCE?
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YOU NEED A PLATFORM – LIVING A STORY- ASSIGNMENT 3
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THE ONE SHEET
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OVER-EDIT?
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