To All The Publishers Who Rejected Me

Content note: themes of homelessness, trauma, rejection, and neurodivergence. Take care while reading.

Rejection is a funny thing — and sometimes, it is painful. But here is the thing: yes, my texts are not perfect. Because they are handwritten. Because they are based on lived experiences. Because they are not written by an AI tool. And because I am on the autism spectrum, AuDHD, living with neurodiversity and PTSD.

Editors underestimate the energy and effort it costs me to write an article. Expecting a perfect article from me is like expecting a marathon run from an athlete with a broken bone.

But as soon as people want to make money, it seems, perfection and other expectations become more important than the human being who is writing that article. Since we are in the year 2026, everybody has been talking about “inclusion” for many years. Strangely, that inclusion is a word that sounds good in theory, but in reality people like me still get judged and criticized, and our work labeled as “not good enough,” despite the double amount of effort we put into it to create something.

So, then, for those who really care, here is the reason why I am writing:

I have serious reasons for why I do what I do. Allow me to share some examples, so you see where the roots of my motivations as a writer come from:

When I was a teenager, I was standing in the street with one box containing all my belongings. I looked at the social worker and asked, “Where will I sleep tonight?”

You could say that on that day, God sent me the answer to my prayers after many years of enduring difficult situations. I won’t burden you with the details and things I experienced during years as a child; but back in those days, child protection services only intervened when someone was in serious physical danger. If you want to know those details, I can send you the first chapter of the book I’m working on.

This is also the reason why I offer services on my websites by donations. Because I experienced, as a child, what it means to lose your family and your home, more than once. Living in foster homes during those early years, feeling like a dog left in a shelter that nobody wants — I could write a book about it. But what I really want to write about and share in my articles is how to recover, how to heal, and how to find inner peace after those kinds of experiences.

Those are the reasons why most of the time when I write, I write texts to inspire people, to motivate people, and to share messages of encouragement. Because I’ve been there. I’ve seen difficult times, and I know how it feels.

And those texts, they do not have to be “perfect” according to some publishers’ standards. What matters is the message of hope they give to the readers.

Like many others, I once envisioned a particular career and professional future. Following certain childhood experiences, I came to live with PTSD, ADHD, and sensory differences. For a long time, overlapping symptoms made diagnosis and orientation difficult. This uncertainty had lasting consequences and required me to let go of professional paths I had once imagined for myself. While this was painful, it also led me to develop patience, compassion, understanding, and respect for the non-linear nature of healing.

This is why my articles and the work I share on my websites is rooted in lived experience and not written with the goal to reach some kind of literary perfection. Because trying to fit in and fulfill other people’s expectations is the exact reason why people with my form of AuDHD are breaking down under that pressure of performance set by 90% of people in the business world.

And then, every time when we are told that our work is “not good enough” to fit in and that what I created does not fulfill certain expectations… that is more painful than many can imagine.

Yes, sadly, I know many who have given up, because that pressure of performance and the rejection got too painful.

And this is why I share the texts that I share: to tell people NOT to give up. To encourage all those who are going through difficult times in their lives. I write to motivate people and to help them feel better about themselves, no matter what.

Because the world out there is cold enough sometimes for some of us. I write for the brokenhearted, for those who were not blessed with a supporting family, for all those who are dealing with unexpected medical diagnoses, and for those who try to recover from a painful loss.

I hope that this message can help some people to have a little bit more understanding and meet my work with less judgement.

Thank You.

With Love, Jeanne

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