About a month after I sent out my first batch of magazine submissions I got my first rejection letter. You would think the normal response would be to feel upset or discouraged. I, however, had the opposite reaction. I was joyful!
Why?
Because if I'm getting rejected, that means I'm trying. I'm writing. I'm submitting. I'm out there. I did a little dance when my husband handed me my self addressed stamped envelope. Someone out there had read my work! Yes, they rejected it. But they did so nicely. It was a form rejection letter, but I thought it was a very pleasant one. Ironically we had received our copy of this particular magazine in the mail the day before and I saw an article that was VERY similar to the one I had submitted, so I was expecting a rejection anyway. But one overwhelming theme of the children's writing world is kindness. Yes, it is business, but it is also a fantastic community of writers, illustrators, editors, publishers, teachers, agents, and everyone in between. But I digress...
Since that first rejection, I've gotten several more in the mail. I have to admit that the last one bummed me out a little, but that was the first one that did. I let myself pout for about an hour and then got out my notebook and started brainstorming new ideas for the magazine that I had sent the latest rejection. Keep learning and writing!
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