the craft. residency and fellowship season.
It’s that time of year, where so many writers are putting together their packages to send off for residencies and fellowships in hopes that they’ll actually hear positive news in a few months. So many of us are looking for that uninterrupted time to make real headway on works in progress, and be supported in our endeavors. And by supported, I mostly mean fed. It’s so nice to have meals made for you when you’re headfirst into a writing project, but I digress. There’s a lot of great community that comes from these opportunities as well as education and productivity.
But they’re also competitive. Everyone won’t get in and so you also have to fortify yourself for that old friend, rejection. This is as good a time as any to remind you that rejection is not a personal indictment on your value or your talent. There are so many factors that go into the writers who are selected for these opportunities. And while there is self-awareness in knowing if your work is competitive with the caliber of writers for a specific opportunity, I assure you that everything from diversity in experience, stories, and so much more creates the rubric for these opportunities.
With that in mind, don’t be afraid to apply more than once to an opportunity. If you didn’t get it the year before, dust yourself off and try again. What can you improve? Is it still a viable opportunity for you? Maybe try a new project or writing sample. I have heard many stories of writers trying multiple times and finally getting their moment in the sun. Personally, I was denied for a retreat one year, then made it as a finalist the next. Who knows, if I would have tried the third time, I likely could have gotten in.
I want to share with you a few things to consider as you prepare your submissions, starting with the idea that rejection is going to happen, don’t let it discourage you.
Now, the more practical things you can do to assist you in this season, starting with developing some editable templates.
So many of these opportunities are asking for some form of a personal statement and sample pages. I don’t know about you, but I have fifty-leven things to write on a regular basis. Trying to have these unique pieces for each opportunity is tiring. Now, this doesn’t mean that you can’t edit them to be specific to the opportunity, that’s important. But it does mean that you can develop a starting point for yourself. Update them each season to add your new accomplishments and whatnot, but use the foundational elements for multiple opportunities.
This is an excerpt from the craft, our weekly newsletter on writing. For full access to our archive and to learn more about our membership community, Permission Granted, head to our website.
We’ll be hosting a special members-only Office Hours to discuss Residencies and Fellowships including live reviews of personal statements. (Join by March 7th).