How do you handle rejection?

First, don’t take rejection personally. When you submit your writing for inclusion in an anthology, magazine. . . to an editor, publisher, agent. . . and you receive a “no, thanks” letter, or worse, you never hear back . . . don’t take it personally.

It may or may not be the quality of writing, but it’s definitely not a rejection of you personally.

My Submission Philosophy

You won’t receive rejection notices unless you submit your writing.

And if you submit your writing . . . you will probably receive a rejection note, or two, or more.

Welcome to The Club

I wrote a story about pesky gophers around 2007. Shopped it around. Submitted to a little contest. Won second place. I was thrilled. But really, this was a miniscule contest. Probably two entries.

So I shopped it some more. Got accepted. But the editor said since it was seasonal, I should submit the following spring (nine months away). I dutifully waited and re-submitted.

“Alas,” she said (or maybe she didn’t. Maybe that’s the storyteller in me).

“We can’t accept this since you don’t live in our geographical area.”

Hmmm. . . She couldn’t tell me that with the original submission (and acceptance, I might add and will add).

Submissions, semi-acceptances and rejections are quirky.

Time went by. I sulked, got mad and stomped around a bit.

A few years later, I was over my annoyance and once again submitted. This time my gopher story was accepted!

“My Way With Gophers” will be published later this year in Redwood Writers 2014 Anthology.

Moral of this story: If the writing is polished and perfected to your best ability — my gopher story was revised about 113 times and the title changed 67 times — go ahead and submit, because you never know. You might get lucky.

And you might as well Just Write . . .  and Submit. 

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