Rejection Resources
Let’s face it… this writing thing is hard. It’s a grueling cycle — a constant search for criticism that churns into a ray of hope only to be dashed by form rejections. It can go on for years if you’re lucky, decades if you’re not. Even if you have a good therapist (and you should try to find one), there’s a chance they won’t understand this writing life. While you’re on a path to the mastery of the craft, don’t forget to take care of your mental health. Here are some books to help you on your way.
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Grit for Writers
Tamar Sloan
Tamar Sloan is a psychologist and an author, so she knows the struggle. In Grit for Writers she tackles everything from rejection and slow sales to bad reviews and imposter syndrome. And she teaches us how to recalibrate our emotional compass.
Big Magic
Elizabeth Gilbert
It’s easy to get trapped in a cage of our own making, locking ourselves behind bars of fear, negative thoughts, and powerlessness. All of those things can sap us of creative energy. Gilbert shares her insights into the power of inspiration and the mysterious source of creative endeavor to help us get back on course.
The Subtle Art of not Giving a F*ck
Mark Manson
If manifesting golden rings hasn’t been a successful strategy, then Manson offers the antidote. Roll with the punches. Embrace the flaws and faults. Lean into your painful truths. Inside, you’ll find courage, honesty, curiosity, and some healing, too.
Drive
Daniel H. Pink
In this New York Times bestseller, Pink delves into nearly 40 years of research on motivation to help us understand the power behind our sense of autonomy, desire for mastery, and purpose-driven lives. It wasn’t written with writers in mind, but it sure is a helpful read.
Rising Strong
Brene Brown
This is one of my all-time favorites. In Rising Strong, Brown draws on her vast experience with people from all walks of life and success and asks what they all have in common. The answer is surprisingly simple. They simply get up when they fall. But it requires vulnerability, emotional honesty, and a three step plan: Reckon with emotions, Rumble with your story, and create a Revolution in your life.
The Gifts of Imperfection
Brene Brown
Do you ever feel like you could achieve a lot more if you could get out of your own way? Brown lays out ten guideposts that can help you transform your thinking and overcome the self-sabotage that makes reaching your goals seem so impossible. It isn’t just a mind-changing journey. It’s an introduction to wholehearted living.
Self-Esteem
Gael Lindenfield
Lots of rejection can send your self-esteem plummeting. If your self-confidence is at an all-time low, it’s possible you’ve picked the scabs of some really old wounds. And sometimes it’s hard to see our strengths and achieve our potential while old habits, bad habits, and protective defenses hold us back. This great little guide gives you easy-to-follow steps that will lead you to some eye-opening clarity and new perspective.
The Van Gogh Blues
Eric Maisel, PhD
Eric Maisel is a hidden gem. He’s the guru atop the distant peak who understands both the creative spirit and the crisis in meaning-making that we seem destined to experience. If you can’t quite put your finger on why the writing process, the querying trenches, and the publishing world are so emotionally tumultuous, and if the true meaning of it all seems elusive, you may find comfort and camaraderie in the Van Gogh Blues.
Life Purpose Book Camp
Eric Maisel, PhD
Bestselling author, psychotherapist, and creativity coach Eric Maisel offers an alternative: an eight-week intensive that breaks through barriers and offers insights for living each day with purpose. Once you understand how meaning operates, how meaning and life purpose are related, and what concrete steps you can take toward fulfilling your purpose, you will never run out of meaning again.
The Craft of Writing
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On Writing
Stephen King
Bird by Bird
Anne Lamott
Steering the Craft
Ursula K. Le Guin
Story Genius
Lisa Cron
The Hero with A Thousand Faces
Joseph Campbell
Conflict & Suspense
James Scott Bell
The Emotional Craft of Fiction
Donald Maass
Save the Cat
Jessica Brody
The Anatomy of Story
John Truby