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Q&A How do you cope with rejection?

I know that Bradbury was rejected about 800 times. I know the famous JK Rowling story. Yet the question is lurking in my mind, becoming stronger and clearer with each rejection: what if? What if I...

4 answers  ·  posted 5y ago by kom‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

#3: Attribution notice added by user avatar System‭ · 2019-12-08T11:54:06Z (almost 5 years ago)
Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/q/45204
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#2: Initial revision by user avatar kom‭ · 2019-12-08T11:54:06Z (almost 5 years ago)
I know that Bradbury was rejected about 800 times. I know the famous JK Rowling story. Yet the question is lurking in my mind, becoming stronger and clearer with each rejection: what if?

What if I am really not that good, what if I am simply an acute case of the graphomania disease, and nobody will ever be interested in anything I have to say. What if I am wasting my time, my money, my family's patience on nothing, nothing at all?

I cannot stop writing. I do not seek fame or wealth, I seek an audience. I want my books to be read. Almost each and every beta reader (not personal acquaintance) told me I am good. But how would I really know if I am any good? If I have this right to ask unknown people to spent some hours of their lives with my books?

EDIT: All the answers were very insightful and very helpful. Thank you. I am going to accept @Liquid's answer just because it was the first and it was there when I needed it most.

#1: Imported from external source by user avatar System‭ · 2019-05-16T11:51:10Z (over 5 years ago)
Original score: 30