from form letter to human (and still a no)

My writing life has been as dry and salty as the Mississippi River these past few weeks.

However.

This week I received a couple of rejections that, while they were no’s, were also specific and thoughtful. Which for me, is progress.

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To give you context, form letter rejections usually look like this:

Super short and impersonal:

Dear writer,
Thank you for sharing your work with me. I'm sorry, but I'm not the right agent for your work, so I will have to pass. Thank you for considering me and best of luck with your future queries.

Sincerely,
Agent A

Or:

Dear writer,

Thank you for your query and sample pages. Unfortunately, I don't feel this is the right fit for my list at the moment, so I'll have to pass. Keep querying! Another agent might feel differently.

Sincerely,
Agent B

Slightly longer version:

Dear writer,

Thank you for your query and for your interest in representation by ABC Literary Management. I regret that ABCLM is unable to take you on as a client at this time. We receive many queries a week and because of this we must turn down many projects that might have great commercial potential.

Please know I personally read each query and that some of these rejections are based strictly on the subject of material, which may not be an appropriate fit for my interests. While this is not the news you hoped for, as I'm sure you know, writers sometimes endure long periods of rejection before they find the winning combination for themselves. They refused to give up, and it is my sincerest hope that you do not give up either.

All best,
Agent C

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Then there was this one.

Dear writer, thank you for submitting your query for (memoir) to XYZ Literary Agency for our consideration. Even though I found great qualities within your query and synopsis, I didn't connect with the sample pages as strongly as I had hoped to champion the project. Please keep in mind that this industry is subjective--what didn't hook me right away, could be just what another agent is looking for.

Your story is very compelling, I see a lot of potential here. However I hoped to see a more active scene upfront and deeper emotional interiority to connect the reader to our character.

I'm sorry to not have better news to share. I hope you take this decline as an encouraging "no" that is simply helping you find your way to the right "yes". Keep honing your skills, learning about the industry, and always embrace a growth mindset. We're rooting for you!

Best of luck,

Agent D

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Even though it’s a no, there’s a thread of encouragement, which motivates me to dig back in for another edit of my material, and also keep querying.