Rejection, Acceptance, & Shame

So, I've received another rejection.  Yay! I'm one more closer to my goal of fifty!  It was an odd rejection though, because it was for a contest, and I found out I didn't place when I saw the post that the issue had been published.  I hadn't received notification of any kind.  I feel it's kind of odd to say it, but dang... a little rejection letter would have been nice.

Though the rejection made me really feel like not going, today I had my first official writer's group meeting.  I was very excited when we first started planning, then as soon as the date and time were set I started having doubts.  The closer the official day crept the more I felt I shouldn't go.  I felt like I wouldn't be helpful to anyone else, I didn't want to bog down good writers by asking them to look at my work, and I truly didn't feel like I would have anything beneficial to offer.  Getting yet another rejection the night before the meeting almost made up my mind to not go.  Then I got a message from a good friend who had also submitted to and been rejected by the same contest.  She was considering not going to the meeting because of the rejection as well.  That idea was just absurd, because she is such a talented writer, so I wrote her a message and told her to get her butt to that meeting.  Then I promptly followed my own advice and got my own butt there.

I truly have not laughed that hard or that much since Hindman.  Three of us had been participants and we reminisced as well as filled each other in on conversations and happenings that the others didn't know about.  We discussed what we all wanted to get out of the group, where we are with our writing, and what goals we have for the near future.  We all read a small piece of writing, and we had short discussions about the pieces and promised to email them out to all participants.  It was absolutely amazing to be back among writers and have myself and my crazy way of thinking accepted.

For now we are called "For Shame Writer's Group".  And while the name may change, I feel fairly certain the word 'shame' will be in the name, and you'll have to trust me you just had to be there to know why or understand that it HAS to be in the name.  Well... if it doesn't have 'shame' in it, then we will be "The Screwing Flies Writer's Group".  Again, you just had to be there. I'm so glad I was.