I saw somebody create a blackout poem from a job rejection on LinkedIn. My first exposure to the idea of blackout poetry came from Austin Kleon. Why not do the same with writing rejections? I submitted a story while teaching a class as a demonstration of how the process worked. A week after the class ended, I got a rejection. I made this from the response.
Learning to handle rejection is the most important skill a creative must develop. What’s always worked best for me is cognitive reframing. Whether it’s form rejection bingo, competing with other writers to see who can net the most rejections, or making inspirational poems.
As long as the rejections keep coming in, I’ll keep doing these. Hopefully it helps someone else through the soul-obliterating reality of constant rejection.
