I could paper a room with my rejection letters.  That would be enough to discourage most normal people.  I never said I was normal.  With each rejection letter I’ve received, I’ve been lucky because for some reason the person who has written the letter has taken the time to comment on my writing.  I, in turn, have taken the time to listen to their comments and my writing has improved.

     I say I’m lucky because so many writers that I know have received the standard form letter type of rejection.  A few even got the nasty ‘don’t quit your day job’ types.  Those are enough to make a person consider murder—at least in print.  Yes, when you read a mystery where one kills an editor or agent, the person who wrote it probably got one of those letters.

     Rejection letters are a normal course for writers.  They teach us to have the skins of rhinos.  What could possibly be worse than a bad rejection letter?

     One thing, a critique that not only shreds your book, your dignity, and lacks saying anything constructive but it makes you doubt yourself.  I’ll go into that at another time.

     Plot twists, bodies, red herrings, murder scenes, cops, and bad guys aren’t all there is to a mystery.  Your characters are the stars of the story.  Therefore, the characters need to draw in the reader.  They have to be likable or, at the very least, intriguing. 

     Editors didn’t like my first mystery.  No, that’s not true; most of them liked the mystery.  I have the lovely long rejection letters to prove it.  However, they didn’t like my main character.  She was too independent, too gritty.  They couldn’t warm up to her.  No matter that, her father and several loving but gristly ranch hands raised her.  She was a person they didn’t understand.  Their world wasn’t ready for that character.

     However, my agent loved her.  She worked hard to sell the book.  Willing to continue to try to sell it, I think she felt let down when I pulled it to write something different. 

     Several years have passed, and maybe I should have her shop it around again.  After all, since then the program Saving Grace became a hit.  Grace is gritty, tough, and an independent character.

     Could it be that editors would give the book a second look today?  One never knows, but for now, I’m too busy with my works in progress to rewrite that one.

     I am fortunate to have a husband, a critiquing group, another mystery writer (Dave), and a good friend (G) to bounce ideas off when I need to.  Without them, I’d probably be stuck in some dark padded cell neatly decked out in a white coat that buckles in the back.

     Granted Dear Hubby will sometimes roll his eyes when the idea I have makes no sense, but he will help me work through it until it does.  He has also come up with some ideas I didn’t think of and they have been great.

     When I’m in the throes of writer’s block, Dave will ever so kindly get online and have a long BS session with me in IM.  He never fails to help me find new angles, red herrings, or scenes.

     When I hand my finished chapters to my critiquing group, they will catch things I didn’t see.  Boy, do they catch them.  They will let me bounce ideas off them on chapters I’ve not yet written. 

     Don’t be afraid to use others as a soundboard.  However, be aware that some people aren’t going to be helpful.  Then there will be other ones, where you will wonder how you ever did any writing without them.