You Are Not Superman, You Are Popeye — And That’s a Good Thing!

Writing advice that will turbocharge your writing journey

If you could choose to be either Superman and Popeye, chances are you’re more likely to pick the superhero that Superman is.

Yet, I’d argue you’re better off being Popeye to enhance your chances of success as a writer. How does that make any sense? We’ll get to that later.

During my brief journey as a writer on Medium, there’s been plenty of advice that I’ve read about how curation, publications, and a following will get you success.

In the broader writing world, publication houses, editors of magazines, large publications, etc. are the ones that hold the same powers, to determine your success.

And so, it is natural that “rejection” from these demi-Gods can be a hard pill to swallow. However, what you need to remember is that how someone perceives a piece of art is a highly subjective affair.

Writing is, indeed, an art. You are the artist. And artists have never really had it easy, so why would you?

Walt Disney, the great creator, was told he lacked imagination, he had his original work, Oswald, the Lucky Rabbit stolen, before he created Mickey Mouse. Mickey Mouse was then rejected by about 300 bankers before he could raise money for a motion picture, and the rest is history.

J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter was rejected “loads” of times before she finally got a literary agent to accept her, while she was living on benefits, and writing out of cafes.

Stephen King’s Carrie was rejected by 30 times by different publishers, including a note that said,

“We are not interested in science fiction which deals with negative utopias. They do not sell.”

Carrie eventually ended up selling over a million copies in its first year.

There are many more such examples, but I don’t want to belabor the point.

What does that mean for you as a writer, and how can you fight the disappointment of rejection and soldier on?

Well, here’s where our friend Popeye comes in. Superman, with all his superhuman strengths, had a major weakness in Kryptonite.

Don’t let rejections be your Kryptonite. Instead, be Popeye, and make them your spinach.

Here’s how you can use the rejections to turbocharge your writing and use them as a motivation to conquer the world.

Rejections are subjective and don’t imply you’re bad.

In my time of a little under 2 months on Medium, I’ve been lucky enough to write for close to 10 different publications, including some solid names like Illumination, The Startup, Runner’s Life, Post Graduate Survival Guide, The Innovation, and more.

Yet, I’ve had my fair share of rejections. Twice, however, my “rejected” pieces that I’ve gone on to publish elsewhere or self-published were curated by the Medium curators.

Does that feel vindication? Yes. Do I think of it as a “F**k* You!” to the publications that rejected me? Of course, not.

Publications are run by editors who are giving all of us a platform, but they also have their own criteria — specific topics and messaging, certain guidelines, specific editorial requirements. That could mean that while your piece is great, it’s not a fit for them. Also, editors are humans, and like all “subjective” opinions, acceptance/rejection of a story is a highly subjective affair. This applies to all other writing outside of Medium as well.

But don’t let a rejection stop you from publishing. Take another look at your work, make edits based on the feedback, but if you are sure this is the best it can be and conveys the message you want to convey, then trust yourself.

Figure out your strengths & areas of improvement — play on the strengths while you work on the weaknesses.

My goal for my first few months is to dabble with a variety of topics and a variety of publications and build a broad audience.

I then plan to figure out where my strengths lie, and what works the most with my following and audience that I build over time.

I’ve had 7 curations so far (they’re listed at the end of this story), across 11 topics — Women, Equality, Business, Leadership, Work, Travel, Fitness, Marketing, Writing, Relationships, and Parenting. Each of these topics has been unique.

I’ve been lucky to an extent, but that doesn’t mean all 11 of these are my strengths.

I don’t believe in having a “niche” but it is also important to know what works for you and what doesn’t. For me, I think parenting, business, diversity, and related topics work well. I intend to play on these strengths, while I continue to occasionally try my hand at others and convert some weaknesses into strengths as well.

Not all publications are meant for you, but if you’re hurt from rejection, take it as a challenge to succeed.

There are a few publications that I haven’t yet cracked despite multiple attempts. Do I always agree with their assessment of my piece? No.

But do I think they’re wrong? Of course, not. Maybe they cover a topic or a perspective that doesn’t come naturally to me. But I am willing to use these rejections as a motivation for me to try and try again until I succeed.

If Walt Disney can have Mickey Mouse rejected 300 times, and still believe in himself, I am surely ready to give myself a few more chances until I achieve the level of success I think I deserve.

And, so can you — so go be Popeye, and let the spinach of rejections pile up and make you stronger and stronger.

All of my curated pieces here, if you’re interested.