I’d been waiting several months to hear news about a short story I’d written back in January. I submitted it in February and the magazine said to give them up to six months to respond before re-submitting. I had just e-mailed a friend and said I planned on trying again once the calendar page turned to August when lo and behold in the mailbox today came the note:
Dear Writer, Thanks but no thanks. Okay, so they really weren’t that blunt, but you get the idea.
For a moment I let myself be sucker punched. I stared at the note in utter defeat. Then I went down to my computer and whined on FaceBook. There’s always someone on-line to commiserate with, to buck you up when you’re feeling down.
And now, in the words of that famous philosopher Monty Python, “I’m not dead yet! I’m feeling much better.” Rejection used to be an excuse for me to wallow in self-pity for days. Not anymore. Now I use it as a tool. A tool to motivate me to work harder. No longer a hammer to pound me into the ground, rejection is sandpaper. It may be rough and hurt a little, but ultimately it will smooth out my writing making it a thing of beauty.
And so, in the words of another great philosopher, “Once more unto the breach, dear friend, once more!” I’m off to my lap top and ready to try again!
Kim, I love the picture you give of rejection being like sandpaper rather than a hammer. If we tally up all my rejections this year, I should be pretty close to being smooth as a bowling lane, buffed to a glossy shine!
Now if it could just shave off a couple of pounds from my thighs I’d be a really happy camper!