Writing Hope in a Dystopian World & Surviving Query Rejections - Carrie Birde

In a modern literarylandscape saturated with dystopian nightmares, cynicism, and catastrophicfutures, what does it take to write a debut novel rooted unapologetically innatural beauty, community connection, and quiet hope—especially when you don'thave traditional pedigree and face dozens of query rejections? Carrie Birde is an author, poet, artist, and student offolklore and mythology whose debut literary fairy tale, A Small Tale of Uncommon Grace, is published by BlydynSquare Books. After spending years writing in isolation and shelving hermanuscript for eight years due to industry rejection and feeling like anoutsider, Carrie returned to her story with renewed vulnerability. Her workfound its home through an independent publisher who evaluated manuscripts viablind submissions, proving that compelling storytelling transcends credentials. In this episode of FailCraft, Carrie joins Ezekiel to discuss why choosinghope over destruction is an act of creative rebellion. She breaks down the truehistorical origins of folklore and fairy tales, how receiving hard editorialfeedback helped her overcome emotional detachment in her prose, why writing forthe love of the craft shields you from rejection fatigue, and the quiet powerof practicing kindness in everyday life. In this episode of FailCraft,you will discover:·        SwimmingUpstream Against Dystopian Trends: Why modern readers need stories of hope as an antidote to doom. ·        TheStory Behind A Small Tale of Uncommon Grace: Exploring community and communication withnature [04:13 / 06:43]. ·        OvercomingFear of Rejection: Moving from writingin isolation to embracing honest editorial critiques. ·        Shelvinga Book for 8 Years & Finding Blind Submissions: How Blydyn Square Books discovered themanuscript [07:00 / 10:50]. ·        FairyTales Are Not Just for Children: The historical role of folklore as community survival guides[11:29 / 13:10]. ·        Advicefor Writers Facing Rejection: Centering the daily creative process over commercialexpectations [13:32 / 15:28]. Connect With Carrie Birde:·        WebsiteHub: Explore poetry, art,and author essays at carriebirde.com. ·        Book: A Small Tale of Uncommon Grace(Available on Blydyn Square Booksand Amazon). Support the Show:·        Fuel the FailCraftMission: https://iferia.nestuge.com/supportme ·        Subscribe, leave areview, and share this episode with a fellow writer, poet, or storyteller! Want to Be a Guest onFailCraft?·        Connect with Ezekielon PodMatch: https://podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/failcraft Chapters:00:00 Introduction:Carrie Birde & A Small Tale of Uncommon Grace01:50 Why Writing HopeIs a Rebellious Act in a Cynical Culture04:13 Inside theStory: Grace, Community, and Communicating with Nature07:00 OvercomingIsolation: How Critical Feedback Transformed the Manuscript09:15 The 8-YearDrawer Hiatus & Finding a Blind-Submission Publisher11:29 De-SanitizingFairy Tales: Folklore as Life Survival Guides13:32 Advice forWriters in the Query Trenches: Writing as an Act of Love15:56 RedefiningSuccess as Everyday Kindness and Connection19:11 Special Guest:Meet Carrie's Rescue Dog, Tilamina Marigold20:18 Connect withCarrie Birde & Blydyn Square Books