I'ma be real here.
A few hours before writing last night's guest blog, I got a rejection letter of Hero Squad by Dramatic Publishing. It stung. I mean, I know I wasn't expecting anything out of Dramatic, but a rejection is still so final. And, in this case, so quick, too. I really, really respect the choices the folks at Dramatic make, so to be shot down so quickly for having something that can't be "advantageously marketed" in a children's entertainment market that is currently eating this sort of story up, well, that not only took the wind out of my sails, it blew a freakin' cannonball through the main mast.
Rejection always sucks. And usually, I really have to work and work to pull out of the ensuing funk. Last night, I could feel the overwhelming sense of discouragement all about me. I didn't even want to write the Hero Squad-charactered guest blog. Heck, I know how I respond to this sort of thing.
Then, by the grace of God, last night was different. I bummed out for awhile, laid down for a bit, had a snack, put my arm around my wife for a bit, and then sat back down at the computer. I wrote and enjoyed writing the guest blog, and suddenly I was filled with a burning desire to move on, to prove the nay-sayers wrong, and quickly. I didn't sleep until I had another three web pages bookmarked for further opportunities and two scripts (Hero Squad and Do You Hear) submitted electronically to different publishers.
I'd like to say I've moved past discouragement, that I don't have time for fear anymore, that I'll be pressing onward with these scripts until the many hours spent planning, writing, reading, rehearsing, and rewriting by myself and others have been validated. I'd love to say that I'm not afraid to fail any more. I know I am, though. But for tonight, I'm not letting it hold me back, and for me, that's a victory.
Remember, kids: a small win is still a win and is decidedly preferable to another loss.
