ACCEPTED

Even more important than acceptance from an editor, is the writer's acceptance of feedback for their writing. Some writers can't take it. And it keeps them from achieving their dreams.

The truth is that if you want to write, you're going to have to learn to take criticism. First from your critique group. Then from editors. Then from reviewers. Then from readers. You can't please everybody. And you shouldn't. But you should be able to look at the feedback objectively and ask, "What did I do to illicit such a response?"

I learned this the hard way. I had an editor request my very first novel manuscript. Then they requested revisions. I made the revisions and sent it back in. Sounds promising, right? Then I got an agent...who told me to withdraw my manuscript from submission and make even more changes. I chose not to listen to her.

So what should I have done differently? I should have walked through the steps that any victim has to take to become accountable for self-improvement...

1. Denial--Did I read that right? She wants me to withdraw my manuscript when I made all the changes the editor asked for? Rediculous.

2. Blame--She doesn't get it. She's not my target audience.

3. I Can't--I can't change that because then I'd have to change everything else, and it would ruin the story.

4. Wait and Hope--I'll just cross my fingers and hope they buy this book.

5. Acceptance--My agent thinks my manuscript needs more work.

6. Own It--If it needs work, I'm the one who has to do it.

7. Make a Plan--How can I tweak the manuscript to be stronger without losing its original flavor?

8. Get On With It--I should have withdrawn, made changes, and resubmitted like my agent suggested.

So I discovered these steps while waiting for the response from the editor. Which prepared me for the rejection I received. Since then, I've made changes. And recently the manuscript was requested by Random House. Still waiting to hear back. But you can bet that I'll be ready to accept any criticisms they might have. And I'll be a better writer because of it.