by Leo Wiles
01 October 2014
I’m another new freelancer who used to work as a staff writer on mags (I got my job straight out of uni and worked there for 5 years before the company restructured). Now I’m out on my own I’m pitching a lot but hardly anything gets picked up and I’m losing my confidence. Help. A
Being a creative soul is I imagine a bit like being bi-polar. There are the tremendous highs when you have a great idea snaffled up and the soul crushing lows of a thanks-but-no-thanks response (or worse, pitching into a void never to hear back). And, while we can’t change how commissioning editors behave (or demand that they answer your emails or see the merit in your story ideas), you can control how you deal with your ideas being rejected – or ignored outright.
Don’t take it personally – The editor may have something similar in the pipeline, have exhausted his/her commissioning budget or be changing the tone of their magazine, website etc. so it the idea no longer fits where they’re heading.
Stop chewing your nails over a pitch – While you’re waiting to hear back, move on to the next one. Always look forward, always be thinking of new ideas rather than stagnating over the ones you’ve sent out.
Don’t take no for an answer – If you think your ideas has legs but it gets a rejection from your publication or outlet of choice, take it to the opposition.
Develop a thicker skin – Time may be the only way to achieve this, but it’s a fact that resilience is a much needed tool in a freelancer’s arsenal.
Don’t dwell – Internalising the feelings of self-doubt that can easily overtake you is a path to nowhere. Shrug it off and brainstorm some new ideas.
Check in with yourself – Too easily when we work in isolation we can find ourselves lurching from a high to a low with no-one to put things in perspective. So ask yourself honestly, is your reaction logical or emotional?
Look back – Celebrate your wins over the past week, month, year to give yourself a boost. No major wins? Then use these failures as a chance to think about what you might be doing wrong, learn and move on.
Go and have fun – Not only will you feel refreshed, you’ll have given your brain some room for new ideas and the energy to pursue them.
Remember why you went freelance – It’s all to easy in the day-to-day to forget the reasons you struck out on your own. So pick up a pen and write a list of all the reasons you love what you do and blue-tack it to the wall next to your monitor.
Keep calm and carry on – Establish a work ritual to settle your mind and prepare for a new productive day ahead.
Reach out – If you find yourself crippled with fear and self doubt, it might be time to call in a trusted fellow freelancer to workshop some new pitches (with a follow-up debrief to put things in perspective).
Expect and accept rejection – Recognise that rejection is part and parcel of being a writer and not a reflection on you as a person (or the skill and abilities that you have honed to be one).
Never give up – You write because you have something meaningful to communicate and just because one or a handful of editors aren’t into this idea, it doesn’t mean the next one won’t get picked up.
How do you deal with rejection?
