Rejection

Thick skin is a prerequisite in the writing game , but wasn't it J.K. Rowling who famously got Harry Potter rejected about 50 times. Talk about 50 shades of Red now for any of those editors who blew her off then , eh?

Seriously though, consider the source(s). If you're like me, not always good about researching the sort of material certain mags, publishers gravitate to, then half my rejections would be due to not 'doing' due diligence. Shame on me in that case. Of course , it 's shame on the publishers if they can't recognize a masterpiece when they see it either :)

Best thing to do is keep a good record of what you've sent in , where, to who if you have the name of the editor, when it was rejected , why it was rejected if possible etc. Hopefully it will keep you from making the same mistake again.

Most rejection 'letters' are kind and encouraging e.g. 'Not our scene, but keep on writing', or 'Our next contest is in the Spring , try again then --- replies of that ilk. Let's take them at face value or pretend at least that they are being supportive and genuinely want an emerging writer to succeed. What's the alternative? You know you're going to keep spinning tales while you still have breath and your fingers can still tap dance on a keyboard.