By Deborah Clack @deborah_clack

Let’s just rip the band-aid off. Last month, I received two emails within twenty-four hours from agents declining the opportunity to represent my work.

We hear it all the time. Negative feedback is inevitable in this profession whether it be with contests, agents, publishing houses, or reviews. But receiving a rejection letter doesn’t get to define us. It only gets to define our next move. Forward.

Here are 10 steps we can take when the gut-wrenching email makes it to our inbox.

1. Cry. Not just any cry. The Ugly Cry. The one where you glance in the mirror just to see how bad it is. Honor the emotions. Get them out. Let the tears flow.
2. Eat significant amounts of chocolate. You’ll need protein to help counter the sugar, so maybe try anything Reeses or Snickers oriented. Drinkable chocolate? Try out a Yoohoo. Gluten-free/dairy-free? Stock up on Free2b or Enjoy Life products.
3. Trust the agent. Before I send an agent or an editor my work, I lay a hand on my computer screen and pray for the agent, possible publishers, and future readers. I ask that the manuscript be received or rejected in a manner that will cause God the most glory. Tears stream down my face every time I release those words to God. If I ask Him to provide a clear answer, I have to be willing to accept the answer He gives the agent.
4. Cry again. This time it’s the more existential Staring Out the Window with Silent Tears Cry. Did the news cause an old wound to surface? The onion will peel, and the layers can be deep. God uses each step of our writing journey to heal us. Let’s lean into this one.
5. Pray. What comes next? Does the manuscript need to change? What writing skills need improvement? What agency, editor, or publishing route best fits our projects? But mainly … let’s pray to release the plans we so carefully laid out when this all began.
6. Grow our skill sets. Did the agent offer suggestions? Learning curves can be hard to swallow, but how wonderful that they exist! With a few clicks, information about stellar proposals, solid platforms, and enhanced manuscripts are at our finger tips.
   • Comb through the BlueRidge Conference website (Shameless plug to sign up for May’s conference.)
   • Camp out at Edie Melson’s TheWriteConversation.blogspot.com
   • Check out Bethany Jett and Cyle Young at TheSeriousWriterAcademy.com
   • Head over to Steve Laube’s ChristianWritersInstitute.com
   • Search through The Novel Academy, Writer’s Digest, Books and Such
7. Don’t let fear win. Fear is a beast, but let’s not feed the animal. After receiving my emails, I penned a list of the twenty-four fears swirling in my head. Using a dark-colored marker, I wrote powerful, truthful verses over the top of those fears. We don’t have to battle the fears by ourselves. God’s words will conquer each of them. And afterward, we can continue to write our stories unencumbered.
8. Grit our teeth. Stare into the mirror. Have a Gone with the Wind moment. Say the words, “As God is my witness, I will pitch a manuscript again!” Did you shake your fist? If you do it without shaking your fist, it’s not the same. Shake your fist.
9. Celebrate others. In the wake of professional disappointment, this one can be tough. But we’re all in this together. Each time an author experiences a contest win, agent contract, book launch, or movie debut, as the body of Christ, we can cheer because God’s glory has another opportunity to shine. Non-believers and believers alike will have a new chance to hear of His love. That’s always a good thing.
10. And cry one more time. But these tears are different. When I shared my news with a trusted friend, she said, “Tears are God’s way of letting us know He cares.” The compassionate God who collects our tears in a jar, is the same God who is jumping up and down saying, “Just wait until you see what I have planned for you!” This is the same God who knows exactly what is needed in the publishing world, where it’s needed, and when it’s needed, so that our writing has the biggest impact.

When we face disappointment, it’s easy to forget God’s trustworthiness. But He gave us the gift of writing. He weaved His passion into our dreams. He bestows words into our stories.

In His unapologetic omniscience, He loves us.

And He has a plan.

Do you have anything to add to this list? More chocolate options? I’d love to hear from you.

Deborah Clack is a former high school AP history teacher. Now she creates stories of her own and asks her heroines, as well as her readers, to dig deep and laugh often. Her work received First Place Contemporary Romance in the 2017 BRMCWC Foundations Contest, and was a 2017 ACFW Genesis Contest finalist. She lives in The Lone Star State with her family, and is currently listening to the Rocky Theme Song while preparing to pitch her work again. Connect with her on her blog at deborahclack.com.