Paying Attention to Rejections
Helen Downey July 10, 2006
Everyone always asks the same question; ‘How long did it take you to write your book”. It took me almost four decades to complete my book of poetry. Even though my book, “Colored Snow Flakes”, is a collection of poetry, it tells a story about a young girl struggling with growing up, parental rules, The Vietnam War, and many other facets of life. It shows how I expressed my self early in 1968 then to emerge from murky waters, not only in my writing but in life as well.
The greatest motivator has been my adult daughter who kept telling me to gather up my cob webs and make a book. The biggest obstacle in finishing my book was my primary job. Working as a registered nurse full time can wear you out. In my waking moments I compiled my book into decades.
My writing habit is nocturnal by nature but I have always written down my thoughts no matter where I have been in the United States. Some poems have taken years to perfect while others emerge magically.
I believe everyone would say that I am a self-published individual, but I did have an editor that worked with me, no agents were involved. She reviewed my book as a whole and suggested major changes to keep my story line smooth. It took me about a year to compile my work, submitting it, making the changes and then actually getting it published.
Rejection slips came over the years but I made a special folder for them to help me see why the material was rejected. Some poetry did get published in a few magazines, but not as much as I would have liked. After reviewing all my work as a whole entity, I came up with the idea that together the poems would make a book that when read from front to back would show growth. It would show the growth of an individual mentally and spiritually, helping others at any age to realize that they were not alone in their feelings or emotions.
I was surprised at how much help I did receive with the publishing process. From the flow of the contents to the cover of the book, my editor was there to help me and suggest the proper roads to take to complete the project. I chose the cover of the book from at least a thousand photographs and drawings. I chose a pastel water coloring of a village which could be entered by a bridge. This represented my poems well. It was very effective. My family and friends thought that I had drawn the picture as well.
As for promotional /marketing activities; I am still working on them. Your home town news paper is a great start though. >From there it’s all word of mouth.
The best advice I would give to anyone starting out or who has hidden their written jewels, is to never give up your craft. Be persistent and have patience.
About Helen Downey
A writer for well over 35 years,
H.C.Downey has poured her soul into poetry, short stories, children’s books, and novels. She grew up in a small but busy city outside Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is here where she inhaled every aspect of her surroundings then spun them into magical words from the heart.
She has a degree in nursing as well as writing. Currently she is working as a registered nurse at Fairview Hospital in Cleveland, Ohio. Throughout the 12 years that her children went to school, she was active in tutoring at the Memorial Elementary School as well as Willets, and Brunswick High School. She also was active in the library scene, making sure not only her children but other children were involved in reading. She has been a member of Friends of The Hinckley Library, Hinckley Art Society, and is a member of Poetry Society of America. Many of her poems have been published in magazines as well as on the internet.
Currently she is working on two children’s books about her favorite subjects, animals and children. “Marcella’s Wish” is sure to win over the hearts of children as well as adults and to be published late 2006. Presently she is been working on her long over due novel, “The Chameleons”. This is only but a mere fraction of the work she has written and produced.
Helen Downey Profile at OnceWritten.com
