Comments on: The 5-Question [Author] Interview: Amy Friedman

By: Cheryl

Cheryl — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 20:05:54 +0000

Excellent commentary on rejection … a metaphor for all types of disappointment, from all types of marketplaces. “I know acceptance and rejection have less to do with the work itself than with the marketplace, and that marketplace is a fluid and impossible-to-comprehend place.”

By: Susan @ 2KoP

Susan @ 2KoP — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 03:18:02 +0000

Just visiting (finally) from SheWrites. Thanks for the interview. It was great, and I’m sending out a Tweet.

By: Almost Slowfood

Almost Slowfood — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 20:00:42 +0000

So nice to hear her thoughts on the submission side of writing!

By: Jennifer Margulis

Jennifer Margulis — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 06:01:33 +0000

Amy is so right that rejection is part of the process.

By: carrie luger slayback

carrie luger slayback — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 03:10:02 +0000

Yes, I too write from the viewpoint of an outsider. I hope readers understand a different viewpoint. I look for the courage to be honest, to reveal the truth about who I am so that readers can recognize themselves within my honesty. Since I’m a life-long chicken-sh*t, this is hard. Amy tries to teach her students authenticity. Thanks, Amy.

By: Sheryl

Sheryl — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 01:16:53 +0000

Honest, interesting interview, as always. How can anyone ever be happy about rejection and deal well with it, or deal with quieting those multiple voices that barge in on us while we’re working? But Amy makes sense of it all and makes me realize it is an inevitable part of the process.

By: Kim

Kim — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 18:16:30 +0000

This was like a breath of fresh air. I really appreciated what she said about rejections, as this is the hardest part of writing for me. It appears that the goal is not to be emotionally unaffected, but to move on and submit anyway. I also liked what she said about judging herself/her work. Any writer who denies doing this is lying Lastly, I loved this: “But fun? Is writing and telling stories fun? I don’t know that I would call it fun, precisely, but it does feel right.” Exactly.

By: Nancy Mehagian

Nancy Mehagian — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 17:25:19 +0000

I love this interview. It reminds me (again) to turn off the critical voice that we, as writers, experience and to just get on with it.
Beautifully expressed. Many thanks to Amy Friedman.

By: Ruth Pennebaker

Ruth Pennebaker — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 16:09:01 +0000

Excellent interview. Remember, you only get rejections if you’re out there, trying, in the first place. They may not be Christmas presents, but they’re evidence of your efforts.

By: Susan Johnston

Susan Johnston — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 15:02:57 +0000

I always try to employ Amy’s strategy for query letters. If someone rejects my idea; I’ll have backup markets waiting in the wings so I can send it out again. Great interview!