Writing makes you sit on a hill

I came across this line recently but for the life of me can’t remember where I saw it.

“Writing makes you sit on a hill.”

In other words, write, put your stuff out there and people will see you. There is nowhere to hide.

That’s scary shit.

Especially when they see you and then reject you.

Last week the third agent in a row sent me a standard rejection letter:

Thank you for your recent email and the material which we have now considered.  As a small agency we take on very few of the many writers who approach us each year and, having reviewed your work, we do not feel we can effectively represent you.

We trust you will understand that the sheer volume of submissions to this office unfortunately prevents us from providing you with a more detailed and personal response.

May we take this opportunity to wish you success with another agent or publisher.

Sitting on my hill, scanning the horizon, I can’t see any other agents or publishers in the distance.

I feel very alone.

But the good thing about being alone on a hill is that you get a sense of perspective.

I have been rejected and it doesn’t feel great but equally, it doesn’t feel abysmal.

I thought it would. And that’s partly why I never put my stuff out there.

Each rejection shows me that nothing matters quite as much as I thought it did.

And, in a way I could never have predicted, that’s a very comforting thought.