Unit2

PartOneTextOne

Weregrettoinformyou...

“Weregrettoinformyou...”Thesearethewordsthateverywriterdreadsreceiving,butwordseverywriterknowswell.Theresponsefromapublishercomesbackandthewritereagerlyopensandreadsit,theirheartssinkingwhentheyreachthatfinalsentence.Youmayhavespentyearsgivingupyourweekendsandfreetimetowriteyourlife’swork,yetstillthisisoftennotenough.Everyoneknowsthatsuccessrarelyhappensovernight,butperhapsnotmanyknowthatalotofhighlysuccessfulwritershavepreviouslyfacedrejection.

TakeforexampleJ.K.Rowling.Whenshereceivedherfirstrejectionletter,shedecidedthatitmeantshenowhadsomethingincommonwithherfavoritewriters,andstuckitonherkitchenwall.Rowlinghadspentyearssurvivingonlittlemoney,spendingallhertimewriting.Whenshefinallyfinishedherfirstbook,shereceivedcommentsfrompublishersalongthelinesof“toodifficultforchildren”,“toolong”,“Childrenwouldnotbeinterestedinit”.Nevertheless,shepersevered.“Iwasn’tgoingtogiveupuntileverysinglepublisherturnedmedown,butIoftenfearedthatwouldhappen,”shelaterposted.Afteratotaloftwelverejections,onepublishereventuallyagreedtoprint500copiesofherfirstbook,andasweknow,?HarryPotter?becameaglobalsuccess,withover400millionbookssoldandtranslatedintomorethanseventydifferentlanguages.

Alltoooftenwritersofgreatworkshavehadtofacecriticismalongwithrejection.J.D.Salingerstartedwritingshortstoriesinhighschool,butlaterstruggledtogethisworkspublished.“Wefeelthatwedon’tknowthecentralcharacterwellenough”wasthecriticismhereceivedonhismanuscriptfor?TheCatcherintheRye.Despiterejectionsfromseveralpublishers,J.D.Salingerrefusedtogiveup.EvenwhenservingintheUSArmyduringtheSecondWorldWar,hecarriedsixchaptersof?TheCatcherintheRye?withhim