Rejections and Notes

Not at this time. It doesn't fit our needs. Please submit again. Thank you for thinking of us. We wish you luck...editors have an unending list of ways to hopefully soften the harshness of the no. But they don't really take the sting out of the rejection, do they?

I'm just thankful that we have moved (for the most part) past print communications. The days of opening a envelope, unfolding the crisp letterhead and reading...NO. You got to hold that physical representation of rejection in your hand and, if you wanted to torture yourself, you stuffed it into a file marked "Rejections". A file that taunted you by getting fatter and fatter and occasionally whispered "Read me."

I had one of those files for many years. It all ended with the advent of email and the instantaneous erasure of rejections with the delete button. That and a small but cathartic bonfire.

Erasing reminders of rejection is a great first step but writers need more than that. If you're anything like me you can recount every writing rejection in detail. The ones you knew were longshots. The ones you thought were sure things. The ones that started out as maybes but instead of transforming to an acceptance went the other way. We remember them all.

Stop that!

A few months ago I found another file stuffed in the back of my cabinet labelled "Notes". Fifteen years of letters, handwritten notes, and Letters to the Editor about my writing. Some from readers came directly to my house but many took a circuitous route, going to a publication that forwarded it to my editor who then mailed it out to me. There were also notes from editors and fellow writers.

Thanks for the great story...I had no idea...You really made my day...Believe in yourself.

After perusing through that file full of encouragement I realized that although delete made erasing the rejections easy, it also made erasing the positive boosts easy too. How many encouraging emails from both people in the industry and readers had ended up forgotten?

So I decided to start printing out any positive communications before they disappear into the Trash file. My own personal version of WOW's Success Stories. When I feel a little discouraged I look over the email print-outs taped to the wall in my office and feel invigorated. It's like having my own personal cheerleader.

How do you encourage yourself when rejection has you feeling down?

Jodi M. Webb writes from her home in the Pennsylvania mountains about everything from DIY projects to pretzels to butterflies to treehouses.  She's also a blog tour manager for WOW-Women on Writing. Get to know her @jodiwebbwrites,  Facebook and blogging at Words by Webb.