by R.L. Lake

Created on: August 23, 2009   Last Updated: July 18, 2010

Rejection is an inescapable fact of the writing life. Some writers will have their work rejected hundreds or even thousands of times before they finally find acceptance. Rejection can be crippling to the ego and stop even the best of writers in his or her tracks. Rejection is never easy, whether it's the first time or the 500th time. How well you handle it can have a significant impact on the success of your writing career.

Don't take it personally.

You'll hear this again and again throughout your writing career. Any editor will tell you that rejection is never personal, meaning it's never personal to him. To you the writer, however, rejection can feel like not only a criticism of your writing but of your very identity. The truth is, an editor's first impression is based solely on the quality of your writing. Whether or not they like it has nothing to with whether or not they like you. If you take rejection as a direct attack on your person, then you'll never make it as a writer.

It really does happen to everyone.

New and established writers alike send their work out with the same confidence, the same high hopes and expectations that it will find acceptance. Although the established writer might experience it less often, he still get rejected. You may get published on the first try, or it may take years for a piece to find a home. Whatever the case, just remember there are thousands of other writers out there going through riding the exact same roller coaster of elation and disappointment.

Use rejection to your advantage.

Many times, rejection comes as a standard form letter with no explanation as to why the work was rejected. Sometimes, however, an editor may take the time to tell you what he did or didn't like about the piece you submitted. You should take this as a compliment, as most editors normally wouldn't do so unless they thought that the work might benefit from a little revision. When you get feedback, whether it's good or bad, take what they're saying into consideration. It might mean all the difference when you're resubmitting the piece elsewhere.

Rejection can actually make you a better writer.

For a writer who is determined to succeed, rejection often only serves to fuel his desire to get published even more. If writing is truly your passion, rejection will only make you want to try that much harder. Take it in stride as part of the writing process and move on. If you let one "no" stop you, then you'll never have the satisfaction of the "yeses" that are sure to follow.

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