Fiction Writing - Getting Rejected is Just Part of the Fun

After all of the hard work you invested in to your writing you are positive everyone will love it. You let your best friend read it. You let your wife or husband read it. You let your family read it. Everyone commended you on your hard work, how could they all be wrong? How could you have any trouble finding a home for work, impossible... right? WRONG!In my own writing experience, you will receive many, many, MANY more rejections than you will ever receive acceptance letters. Getting rejected is just part of the process. Keep in mind, millions of books, stories, poems and other forms of writing are published each year. Why? Because everyone has different tastes! This is true when it comes to editors as well. Not all editors will read the same thing and have the same experience. Getting a rejection does not mean your story or novel is no good, it simply means that specific editor could not publish it because it did not meet their specific requirements. That's all.If you received a rejection keep in mind the following:

1. You are now considered a writer. Rejections are apart of the process. Get use to it.

2. Do not email the editor that rejected you or respond by letter, they don't want to hear it. Editors are busy, if they reject you and do not request a resubmit, don't respond do defend your point of view. This leads me into...

3. Do not get defensive. As I said, everyone is different. Do not get defensive if someone provides criticism for your baby, I mean, your writing. Criticism is meant to help you with your writing so that you can improve, not shut down or get upset at.

4. Don't always jump if told. Editors will sometimes provide feedback for your stories to make it fit what they are looking for. If you agree with them, make the changes and resubmit. If you don't agree, do not make the changes and simply submit it somewhere else.

5. Form letters are the most common rejection letters. When I started writing I expected my first letter to be an acceptance. When it wasn't I was upset but not as much about the rejection but because of the cold form letter I received. It simply said "Sorry, it does not meet what we are looking for." I expected insight to what I was missing, but no such. If you find an editor who will give time to provide feedback, you found a good editor.

Well, that's all for now. Rejections happen. Resubmit it, tweak it or rewrite it. Don't give up on it and don't argue with the editor!