Rejection

No one says rejection is easy (or no one ever said it to me without getting a disagreement). However, it doesn't have to be all that either. I've had my creative stuff rejected again and again, and I never take it personally. Why would I? They don't know me as a person, nor do I know any of them. Also, I have nothing at stake. I'm a professional librarian. I like what I do. Any success beyond that would be gravy, but I loves me some plain ol' mashed potatoes. I view my creative work as a hobby and nothing more. I'm having fun with it. Period. Sure, I dream of taking it to a professional level, but let's face it, that ship may have sailed long ago. And, you know what, I'm totally okay with that. There are worse jobs to have. And I've worked a few of 'em.

I guess what I'm saying is I don't hold any of my rejections against anyone. Personally (I don't mean in a personal way, I mean "in my opinion"), I only take issue with publishers, studios, and others in the industry in one area (okay, maybe more, but I'm muddle-headed on most of them): there's too much talk of "trends." Look, if you want a big hit then you're thinking backward. Statistically, the big hits CREATED trends, they didn't FOLLOW them (Star Wars, Harry Potter, the list goes on) Yeah, there's never anything COMPLETELY new under the tired old sun, but great stories have lots of new and, well...great ideas in them (as well as great characters, but that goes without saying). That's what makes them exciting. If they're simply following "trends," not so much. And, yes there are those few exceptions proving the rule. Still, could we give the endless sequels (whether they "reboot" or not) and remakes a bit of a rest? Pretty please with ambrosia on it?

This is just MHO, of course. And I can hardly have it in for the publishers, and studios, that gave us Harry Potter and Star Wars in the first place. You folks are my Rock of Gibraltar. Sad, but true.

Your obedient servant.

Sean