‘Stay true to yourself – and fly closer to the sun’: what I’ve learned from 50 years of rejection

<p>As a writer, I have been rejected thousands of times, and it initially led to shock, denial and anger. Then I accepted it. Here’s what you can gain from doing so too</p><p>Getting rejected, especially if it happens repeatedly, is not a great experience. Someone is turning you down cold, taking a hard pass, telling you: “Nope.” I work as a writer, so I am no stranger to rejection. I started pitching story ideas and submitting manuscripts 50 years ago, when I graduated from college. In that time, I have had two novels rejected, as well as proposals for nonfiction books, short stories and numerous pitches for articles. Over the last 20 years, since turning my hand largely to personal essays and op-eds, I have been rejected even more. In a typical week, I get a rejection every few days – more than 100 times a year. Rejections accumulated over the course of my career run in the thousands. By now, I should have a PhD in rejection.</p><p>So is this feature to be a woe-is-me rant? Far from it. Because, finally, at the age of 73, I have accepted rejection.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2025/oct/08/stay-true-to-yourself-fly-closer-sun-what-ive-learned-from-50-years-of-rejection">Continue reading...</a>