How I reboot myself after rejection| Meet writer and journalist Mike Hill
With news, events, and opportunities for writers and journalists
Hello my fellow wordsmiths,
Welcome to the latest edition of Write Reject Repeat which includes my first writer chat with author and journalist Mike Hill - which is absolutely worth a read - plus the latest events and opportunities. But first, how do you handle rejection and overwhelm? This is my take but most importantly..
Turn yourself off and on again. A cliché maybe, but as I’ve learned the hard way, it’s the only real method to recover from rejection or failure. It’s not just computers that get a bit overwhelmed - us writers do too. This applies at any stage of the writing journey whether plotting your novel, pitching an article, writing another draft, querying agents, or chasing missing plot points. It’s amazing what a personal reboot and a bit of time away, whether minutes or months, can do. When our cache is full we need to delete the nonsense - it makes total sense. This is your sign to plan yourself a break.
I know this from experience and I’ve just rebooted myself. The failure of the very first stage of querying my novel (to just four traditional literary agents - I’ve only just started really ) is a blow. The manuscript is not only close to my heart but has taken more than four years to complete so any rejection is devastating. Each ‘no’ hurts however you rationalise it. But this is not my first rodeo - as novel one is now in a drawer - so I’ve also developed a coping strategy.
“Think how glorious it will be to read these back when you have the first small win”
Step one: I now take a somewhat doom-laden approach by grimly relishing the entries on my ‘rejection spreadsheet’. On this depressing document I enter the exact wording of the email rejection with commentary including ‘cut and paste reply’, ‘one sentence rejection’ or ‘ didn’t even bother replying personally’ or a rare surprise emoji with ‘actually read it.’ Call me basic but it helps - and after decades in newsrooms cynicism runs in my blood alongside the coffee. And think how glorious it will be when you have the first small win.
Step two of the strategy is to buy a book and promise myself I don’t have to write a another word/query again until I’ve read it as a sort of a rejection reward. It genuinely helps - me anyway - and I get to support the industry I want to be a part of.
Step three is commune with nature. This time, I chatted to Mr McPheasantface, our local friendly(ish) wild bird, who said he was not impressed we hadn’t fed him for months then pecked at the one solitary rose I had left in the garden until the petals fell off.
I can’t believe Elizabeth Day hasn’t had me on her How to fail podcast... I joke, but, seriously, this stuff is hard. Writing a novel with a view to traditional publication is probably the only career where you have to do the job in it’s entirety before being judged if you were good enough to do the job in the first place. That’s rarely true for non-fiction, zoo-keeping or even being Prime Minister - think about it. And if you are out there nodding your head, I feel you - and if you’ve finished a novel and currently querying please remember you are a superstar.
Anyway, this week has been a busy one as on top of the usual work days I’ve attended more events; two to celebrate and meet inspiring women in business and one to the opening of a new look VIP bar ahead of a performance of touring show Dirty Dancing. Networking and contact-making is key to my role as a journalist but meeting other women fighting the good fight doubles up as super-inspiring - and I was also reminded ‘not to put baby in the corner.’
Unfortunately, the price for my social butterfly weeks is finally succumbing to the dreaded Covid - my pandemic dodging had been a source of pride until now. But I’d rather talk writing..
Meet author and journalist Mike Hill
Mike Hill is an award-winning journalist who has worked in the newspaper industry for 30 years, holding senior news and features desk roles at some of the UK’s most respected regional titles. He was born in Liverpool and lives in Merseyside with his wife and two sons. He is the author of the critically acclaimed Christmas Truce by the Men Who Took Part, published by Fonthill Media in January 2021.
His new book Pilgrimage to the Western Front is due to be published by Fonthill Media in November 2023 and is available for pre-order.
“The editor offered me what was effectively an apprenticeship on the proviso I got my hair cut”
Mike Hill
Tell us about you..
After putting the pen down on my final essay at university, I remember the relief at never having to write again. Within three months I had started on a career in journalism which reached the 30 year landmark last month (September, 2023). Across those three decades I have worked with hundreds of journalists many of whom are no longer in the industry so feel very privileged to still in a job which has given me so many experiences, opportunities and continues to just about pay the bills.
How did you first develop an interest in writing?
After university I did work experience at my local newspaper (Southport Visiter) and fell in love with it. The chance to speak to different people every day, research and write different stories and the great cast of characters in the newsroom. At the end of the week the editor offered me what was, effectively, an apprenticeship on the proviso I got my hair cut. It was a few months later when I found a photo in the newsroom archive of the editor taken during his days as a reporter in the 1970s with hair down to his shoulders.
Books always seemed like something other people did and then - in the mid-2000s - the newspaper struck a deal with a publisher to produce books using the newsroom’s archive. I was tasked with looking after the venture and the brief was open to do what we wanted. The projects I took on were all history books and it was a lot of fun. Gathering information over a broader canvas than a newspaper would allow me to create something definitive.
What do you consider your biggest achievement so far?
I was fortunate to win a couple of awards during my days as a reporter and I remain proud of those achievements and the journalism they recognise. Helping other people and seeing them progress and produce great journalism is also a pleasure as well.
As for books, getting really positive feedback and reviews has been very rewarding and selling out the first print felt like a real landmark.
Who is your journalism/writing hero?
I’ve long felt the best writing in journalism comes from the sporting field. Sport is about moments and memories and that ability to capture the colour, drama and emotion of an event and transfer that into words is quite some skill in the hands of the very best. Of all sports, boxing has perhaps the best protagonists with people like Norman Mailer, George Kimball, Kevin Mitchell and Hugh McIlvanney standing out.
What gives you the most joy?
Seeing a book’s cover for the first time and someone’s interpretation of your work. Aside from the primary image, it’s the smaller details like the choice of font, colour of the text and framing of the design. Fortunately, these have, so far, been perfectly judged. And, of course, the sense of accomplishment of holding a physical copy for the first time and knowing it is now out there in the world for anyone to discover for years to come.
What would be your dream career high?
To have something published which enjoyed longevity beyond my own writing career and to have something recognised as a primary source or definitive reference book.
What is your advice for those building a career in writing or journalism?
You owe it to the reader to know the subject inside out and then some. Readers are looking to you to be the authority on the subject and it is essential that you are. One wrong word can undermine the 100,000 around it. And as we hear a lot in this ‘post truth age’ - facts matter.
Don’t be wedded to a phrase, passage, theme etc. just because you are pleased with it - it has to work for the reader - that’s all that matters. At the same time it must be compelling there are few greater failings than boring a reader into putting down a book for good. Saying something is amazing, ground breaking or remarkable is not enough, the skill is to convey how and why. And don’t ever assume anything, an assumption is a guess, and we are not paid to guess things.
Working with publishers can be frustrating but remember they generally know what they’re doing as it’s their livelihood. Journalists used to seeing their words published instantly need to accept and acknowledge books can take a year and longer so use that time to get it right. It is amazing how many errors can leap out after picking up a much-read manuscript not read for several months.
To take part in this feature email writerejectrepeat@substack.com
News, events and opportunities
BPA First Novel Award 2023: Town Smita Bhide’s novel Goddess Town has this week been announced winner. Runner Up was Epicharis by Stephanie Latham. Highly Commended was For Sugar by Ned Carter Miles and on the shortlist My Name is Fee O'Leary by Alexandra Vernon and Sun of Broken Glass by Stephen Morrison-Burke. This year's judges were literary agents Eve White and Ludo Cinelli of the Eve White Literary Agency and author Luan Goldie.
News in the digital age: A future with AI: Of particular interest to journalists, you can pre-register for this free webinar to be held by FT Strategies (Financial Times strategy arm) and GNI (Google News Initiative) which takes place on October 10.
BBC’s 500 Words 2023: If you have a young story-loving wordsmith in your household the BBC has an opportunity for them. Submissions are open until 8pm on Friday 10 November and it’s open to any child between 5-11 year-olds of any writing ability, who reside in the UK. Stories will be marked on creativity rather than spelling, grammar or punctuation.
The Caledonia Novel Award 2024: Open to entries until midnight on November 1, 2023. Judged by Ariella Feiner, literary agent at United Agents, the top prize is £1,500 and an exclusive framed award designed by Edinburgh artist Lucy Roscoe. The award is open to un-agented, unpublished or self-published, novelists only. The entry fee is £25 though some sponsored entries are available for those on low income.
Rachel Reeves book signing: Rachel Reeves will be at Waterstones, Leeds, on Friday October 27 at 7pm to celebrate the launch of her new book, The Women Who Made Modern Economics. The Shadow Chancellor and author of Women of Westminster shines long overdue light on a range of the most progressive and visionary female economists and policy makers, past and present.
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