If It's Not Working, Do Something Different!

I have found myself returning to a quote recently far too often. It is often misattributed to Albert Einstein, but right now, it is just the quote that matters.

Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. 

Unfortunately, far too many authors are not paying attention to this idea. There is this belief that if you believe in your writing, stick to it. Eventually, someone will like it. While a part of that might seem true, if you keep getting those rejections then the odds are, you might need to take a different approach.

I am not saying that you should jump over to a different genre if the one you have been trying is failing. Stick to that. What we are talking about is the way you are writing that genre.

I often get authors who I have passed on earlier, send me a new project. Because I do keep notes of what I thought about a project I passed on, I will always go back, check that reference, and then see if they have done something different. The majority of the time, the approach they took is almost always the same as the prior story (or stories). These authors did not change what they were doing. 

If you want to see this first hand. start paying attention to the contest finalist for the partials they sent in to local contests. You will likely see many of the same people showing up time and time again. What you will also see is that the majority of these authors never make it past those contest wins. Sure, they are winning with random readers who like their writing, but if you want to make it to that first contract, the people you have to wow over are the editors and agents.

So, what can you do?

First, read those rejection letters. Really see what they said about your story. (Yes I know some editors and agents don't send letters, so work with the letters you do get). If you are seeing a pattern, fix that issue.

Secondly, take deep dives into those debut authors and see what they are doing. Really dissect that story and see if what they are doing is what you are doing. No, this is not the plot that you are looking at, or they type of character, it is the approach they took to writing the story. 

Finally, get eyes on your project from people who "truly know". No, not your critique group. No, not your family. Real people who have successfully published traditionally. I stress traditionally because anyone can self-publish. You want those who have run the gauntlet and have gotten that great feedback. Have them help. And yes, this does mean joining a real professional writing organization.