The Best Thing That Ever Happened to My Writing Career? 212 Rejections
How a year of rejections rewired me for success
In January 2019, I wrote an essay titled “Why 212 Rejections in a Year Was the Best Thing to Happen to Me.” In it, I shared how a year of striving for rejection rewired my perfectionist brain, led to 41 bylines—including one in The Washington Post—and transformed my freelance writing career, more than doubling my batting average from the previous year. The essay wound up striking a nerve with readers, which is no surprise considering why I set a goal of getting rejected 200 times in the first place.
My 2018 rejection experiment was inspired by Kim Liao’s Lit Hub essay “Why You Should Aim for 100 Rejections a Year.” Her advice—to collect rejections as a strategy to achieve more acceptances—blew my mind. As a lifelong perfectionist, it had never occurred to me that seeking out failure could be the key to success. That eureka moment led me to make rejection one of my New Year’s resolutions, sparking a profound shift in how I view failure.
By the end of 2018, rejection had lost its sting—and that freedom stuck with me long after the experiment ended. Hearing “no” is no longer the barrier I once believed it to be. And while I don’t have a specific rejection goal for 2025, that’s not because I’ve stopped pitching or striving—on the contrary—it’s because rejection no longer feels like an obstacle. It’s simply another step toward success.
This perspective shift has been so empowering that I recently recommended the rejection experiment to one of my students, who expressed hesitation about pitching for bylines. I told them what I’ll tell you: my writing career took off when I desensitized myself to rejection, and yours can too. I don’t recommend sending out half-baked pitches, but don’t let the fear of making a mistake paralyze you either. Put your best work out there and let the chips fall where they may. Don’t be scared to get ignored or flat-out denied. Sometimes, a “no” just means “not right now.” And sometimes, a no teaches you how to get to yes.
This year, my main goal is selling a book, and I guarantee I’m going to get a lot of nos on the way to that life-changing yes—but that doesn’t intimidate me anymore. In fact, it motivates me. I even keep a spreadsheet so I can watch my passes stack up (and stay organized, of course). If there’s one thing my 2018 experiment taught me, it’s that rejection isn’t the end—it’s the beginning of success, an essential part of the process.
Back when I was an actor, my favorite teacher told me, “It’s not about the size of your talent, but the speed." And now I know what she meant: You can't rely on your innate gifts. You have to be a quick learner and adaptable. You have to embrace the hard parts of the process as much as the parts that feel natural and good. Think about it in terms of a rush hour trek across the city: You’ll never get to your destination if you’re waiting for a string of green lights.
That wisdom applies to writing, too. Most likely, your circumstances won’t be ideal, so the faster you can move past setbacks, the quicker you’ll get where you want to go.
Rejection has taught me resilience, persistence, and the value of a well-timed follow-up. It’s shown me that accomplishing my biggest dreams takes lots of nos, so bring it on!
So, if a fear of failure is holding you back, make it your mission to embrace it. Set a rejection goal. Track your submissions. Pitch those big publications. Query those dream agents. Submit to the intimidating contests. Let the nos stack up.
The worst that can happen? You get rejected every time. (Who cares?) The best that can happen? You get everything you’ve been working toward. Either way, you’re learning, growing, and moving forward.
Not only will this make you a stronger, more prolific writer, but you’ll also realize that rejection doesn’t define you—at least not in a negative way. In fact, it just might be the secret to your best writing year yet.
Stay tuned for updates on my book journey. I’ll be sharing lessons from the nos that lead me to my ultimate yes. In the meantime, let’s fail (for the better) together.
Remember Laura Cathcart Robbins? Rejection did wonders for her career, too!
Did you catch Cara McGoogan’s interview about how she adapted a series of articles into a podcast and then into a book?
Not only is it super inspiring, but it’s full of practical advice. Check it out!
🎙️ Do YOU want to start a podcast this year?
Join my 5-week Creating Your Podcast class at Roadmap Writers, starting this Sunday, January 12th!
We’ll cover everything from podcast formats and nailing your concept to recording, editing, and launching like a pro.
There are so many good reasons to start a podcast, from developing IP to networking to growing your platform to simply nerding out on your favorite topic. Podcasting is one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever done, and I love helping students get started on their podcasting journeys.
of took my last class and said, “I’ve been recommending your podcasting class to anyone who tells me they want to start one. It was so helpful and I’m excited to launch mine hopefully in the spring.”So… ROLL CALL! 🗣️
Let me know how you’re thinking about rejection this year. Any goals to fail big in 2025?
For me, I’m not sure I’m going to publish traditionally - but this year I _am_ going to put a lot of my work out there, and the rejection I’m preparing for is just namely that it doesn’t find that audience or resonate with folks.
In audio drama and actual-play, there is also a kind of indie-darling community that I find it hard to break into, but they win all the awards.
So the rejection I’m preparing for is just that there might not be an audience
This is a really helpful and inspiring take on rejection, and how to make it work for you, as opposed to letting it trip you up or keep you from pursuing your goal(s). It is sometimes very hard to see it this way, but every "no" is a closer step to "yes" (as I continually have to remind myself!)....as long as you just keep plugging away and learning from the process. Thank you for sharing Courtney!