F#@% IT ALL TO HELL! I got a Rejection Letter!

Actually not recently, but I have received them before, usually in electronic form. I'm just intrigued by people's reactions to these letters. Some let it roll off them. Some get down in the floor and throw a tantrum toddler-style. Some cry.

I read articles and postings all the time about what people do with these letters. They're putting them on bulletin boards. They're using them as tickets into I-Got-Rejected-Too parties. They're papering their walls. They're making mobiles. These people put a lot of thought and effort into finding something to do with these FOND communications. Why?

I guess they're trying to make themselves feel better about it, trying to show those little bastards who's boss. Does it work? I don't know. I tend to just let mine fall wherever they may. There are probably still some in my hotmail although I'm not entirely sure of that. There may be some in my files, but if there are, it was simply a way of reminding me when I pull out a particular company's file what exactly happened between those no-talent, blind, couldn't-find-a-good-story-with-both-hands-and-a ..... woooo, what happened there? Maybe I should start doing something with them, make origami bird houses or whatever.

Seriously though, they don't make me angry or sad or suicidal or manic or anything in between. I see them for exactly what they are: to be entirely expected. The most successful screenwriter in the world was rejected many, many, many, many times. I wish I could remember where I saw a recent posting by another blogger about using the letters as percentages to show you whether or not your query letter is effective. I'll try to find that again. And if you've got some really original ideas on what to do with rejection letters, enlighten us all.

After-Nicholl Naptime

I am exhausted. Happy but exhausted. I got the revisions finished and got my screenplay in to the Nicholl Fellowship. I worked my ass off this week, but it still wasn't quite enough. It got down to the wire last night, and I decided I would have to send it in as is, time's running out. I got over to their website, and hey, guess what, they extended the deadline by one day. Apparently they took pity on the procrastinators. I wouldn't have. Glad they did.

So I got to spend more time on it today and got things more polished. Does anybody ever get one to the point where you feel like it's perfect, or is everyone like me and you just get to the point where you feel like you're probably going to start making it worse if you keep on and you better just stop now? I have stared at that thing way too much today.

Congrats to all who entered. It's a source of pride in itself. And to those who entered early - shut up.