Do Rejections From Editors Get You Down?

This guy must have received another rejection from an editor. If you get them over and over, it drags you down. Sometimes waaaaay down! If you're a writer seeking publication, rejection is as sure as Christmas arriving on December 25th every year.

Some things to remember when the bad news arrives:

1. You are not alone. I doubt if there is any writer alive who has never received a rejection. We all know misery loves company so call a writer friend to have a shoulder to lean on. Nonwriter friends just can't understand it as well.

2. The editor who didn't buy your submission has sent the same kind of news to many writers. He/she doesn't enjoy making your life miserable. It's a part of the editor's job. It's not a personal vendetta against you.

3. Receiving that rejection is totally personal to, you, the writer, but it's objective to the editor. Even if he/she knows you from former submissions and maybe even work he/she has purchased to publish, the editor is still able to keep the emotion out of not taking your submission.

4. If you get a rejection with an editorial comment, rejoice! It means you're close. Once you get over the disappointment, take a hard look at your submission. Try to look at it with an editor's eyes instead of as  your precious baby, your treasured words. Then revise and edit.

5. Occasionally, an editor will send a rejection with an invitation to resubmit after some revisions. Time to rejoice again.

When you were a kid learning to ride a two-wheel bike, you fell off now and then. What did you do? You got back on the bike and tried again. Now, you're a grown-up but you can tackle rejections in the same manner.