The Do-Over
By Ada Brownell
“Try again.”
These words on the inside of a soda cap that mean I didn’t win are similar to rejections a writer receives. Sometimes I need to try a different market—but I discovered I can make another attempt with the same magazine, with almost the same article.
Last week, I studied a new market and wrote a piece I thought was a perfect fit. Not so. The rejection flew back in a couple of days. The editor advised me to look at the guidelines. I had viewed them and read the most recent online issue before I wrote the first article. Yet, I swallowed my pride, looked again and took the theme of the first piece, some of the same illustrations, and sent a query letter for a redo using a different style of writing.
My article tells how women, who have a “nesting” instinct, can survive leaving their home and migrating elsewhere. An example from my experience that I used:
One of our first troubling “relocations” came when we moved to a run-down house (the only one for rent) with no hot water or central heat in a town in the Utah desert with only 100 people. My husband, a railroader, worked nights. We had a two-week-old baby; no telephone; no church; knew no one in town. Ninety miles separated me from my family and the doctor. The nearest city hid 38 miles another direction.
Previously, we owned a cute little house in my home town where I was president of a thriving youth group. We were surrounded by friends and family. After the move, my emotions went splat on the brick wall of seemingly impossible circumstances. Through God’s grace, I discovered moving isn’t the end of the world.
My first article was a narrative on how I adjusted to moving more than 30 times—12 in the first three years we were married. The rewritten story not only related my experience, but gave 10 ways to nestle into a new area.
The editor enthusiastically responded to my query, asked me to develop the article, and told me he wanted more using similar formats.
I chopped the first article to pieces in order to “try again.”
Much of life is failure, repeated attempts, and then success.
Rewriting is much like Missouri’s trees in the fall when after becoming so beautiful, the wind whips up and the gorgeous orange, yellow, brown and burgundy leaves scatter everywhere. Trees are stripped to nothing but the bare bones. Ah, but come spring there will be buds, blossoms, new leaves and cool refreshing breezes.
Try again. Spring will come.
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Ada Brownell is a retired newspaper reporter and author of the book recently released on Amazon, Swallowed by LIFE: Miracles of Death, Resurrection and the Eternal. More than 250 of her articles and stories have appeared in Christian publications and her out-of-print book, Confessions of a Pentecostal will be available soon as an e-book. Peek at her blog: http://inkfromanearthenvessel.blogspot.com
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8 Comments until now.
Thanks for the encouragement to “Try again.”
Great post!
Ada, I love your advice. I need to keep it near to my heart. I am preparing to send out my first manuscript but I am terrified. However my husband says I can’t write any more novels till I send at least one away. So, here I go. I will enter this new journey prepared to “try again”. And then try again.
That’s the way to do. Try again. Every time you complete an article or a book, start working on something else. But be sure first one is ready to enter the world. It won’t be perfect, but make it your best. May the Lord guide you.
Ada, thanks for your inspiration today. So many of us needed to read it and take it to heart.
Sitting here in my home office on a dark, rainy, cold, gusty afternoon in western Missouri, I sure can identify with your words about “Missouri’s trees in the fall when after becoming so beautiful, the wind whips up and the gorgeous orange, yellow, brown and burgundy leaves scatter everywhere.”
I clicked over to your blog, Ada, and thoroughly enjoyed your posts about what we can learn from Freese, and Never Give Up. Super stuff, Ada.
Linda Thomas
Ada, I am so encouraged by your inpiration. We moved home every three years for the first 12 years of our marriage, then we settled for about 6 years and I thought God had finally settled us. No, we were off, this time to the other side of the world, Hong Kong! I am now trying my hand at being a writer after over 20 years of a career in nursing, am I too old?
Lisa
Ah, you’re never too old when God has called you. I’m retired and writing more than ever–except for my years as a newspaper reporter.
God gives you these experiences for a reason. We’ve moved 30-some times and God led us every time. Allow Him to show you what to do with these experiences. How we fulfill God’s will is doing each hour and each day what our hands find to do, and do it with all our might. If I remember right, that’s in Proverbs. I started by being organized, and that gave me time to do ministry and write. Don’t give up!
I’ve always lived within a one mile radius of the home where I grew up. I just never stopped to think how difficult it may be and the obstacles encountered when a family moves frequently. Thanks for the insight. I look forward to checking out your blog.
Thank you Ada for the advice, I have just finished my first novel after moving countries and am starting on my second but I have received one knock back based on exactly what you have mentioned above; it was hard to take but I am continuing the journey to find out where God wants this novel to go. I realized after going back to the publisher that my book was not really their style or target audience and I had chosen them only because of their locality and the competition aspect they were running. On a positive note their professional reader was insightful and helped me hone my manuscript with her comments. It is a continuing process to find my ideal niche but I’m sure I will get there.