I had some good news today. It turns out that one of my essays, “I Am The Daughter Of Foreigners,” is going to be published on a popular parenting website called Scary Mommy. This website has over 1.3 million followers.
It’s still hard for me to believe. This journey to get published on this site feels like an eternity. In reality, it has only been six months. I actually have an entire category on this blog devoted to my rejections from this site. Why don’t we take a brief stroll through what I affectionately term my “Rejection Diaries?”
- To My Lost Litte One: I’m So Sorry [Rejection #1]
- Dear Perfect Parent [Rejection #2]
- A PSA About Karma [Rejection #3]
- Finding Coffee In Chaos [Rejection #4]
- Five Reasons I Love Starbucks [Rejection #5]
- To The Lady Who Left Her Son Alone In The Car [Rejection #6]
After that last rejection, I lost the motivation to submit anything anymore. I tried to motivate myself with pep talks about famous authors who had been rejected multiple times before achieving success. I told myself that rejections in my past have always led to better things. But the truth is that rejection SUCKS. It just does. So I walked away from submitting articles and focused my attention on this blog.
I think it was inadvertently the best thing I could have done for myself. When I stopped chasing publication, I started writing with joy. The irony is that the piece that they accepted was something I wrote for myself. I had no audience in mind when I wrote it. Odd, isn’t it?
So, for all of you who are struggling with rejection and wondering when you’re ever going to get a break, please don’t lose heart. Sometimes, it helps to walk away from your project. Sometimes, things will come your way when you least expect it. Just keep on writing and love what you do.
My essay, “I Am The Daughter of Foreigners” will be published on Scary Mommy on Monday, October 19th. I am especially excited that this particular story will be shared with such a large viewing audience because it honors my parents and other immigrants who left their homelands to pursue better opportunities. The thought of all of the sacrifices that my parents made to give my sister and me a better life is what drove my response to the racist couple that I encountered in this essay.
Please stop by and check it out. All “Likes” are appreciated! And again, please don’t let rejection cause you to lose heart. Keep on writing.
A Writing Mama's Journal 
Oh, Taara, thank you so much for writing this post! It really came at a time when I’ve been needing encouragement on getting published. Rejection DOES suck, especially when you put so much time, effort, and HEART into a piece, only to be essentially told, meh, not good enough.
I remember you suggesting I submit this post: http://hautemommyhandbook.com/2014/10/22/what-do-you-do-for-a-living-stay-at-home-mom/ to Scary Mommy, but they rejected it. It’s one of many articles I’ve tried to get published by large publications. It can be hard to stay motivated but your post has given me renewed hope. It’s so true that once you find a place of joy and just follow your passions, everything else falls into place.
I can’t wait to read your post when it goes live!! A BIG congrats to you, and here’s to more published articles!
Best wishes! Jen 🙂
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Hi Jen, thank you for your good wishes and comment! I’m so sorry that you’re going through the frustration of being rejected… Believe me, I understand. It took me seven tries to get this one published on Scary Mommy. Two things helped me: Getting friends to read and give feedback, plus walking away from submissions for a while. Now that some time has passed, I actually understand why my first six pieces were rejected. They had a forced tone that didn’t resonate with truth. You are a good writer! I know it’s hard, but don’t lose faith in that fact. Keep channeling love in your writing and trust that the right opportunity will present itself at the right time. Best wishes to you too! Please keep me posted on how you’re doing.
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Congrats!! So excited for you!!
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Thank you!!
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