by John W. Paulus

Created on: April 12, 2008

One of the few gloomy realities of being a writer is that you are going to receive rejection slips. While this is more often true in the world of print writing than it is in the world of Internet writing, the fact remains that all writers experience rejection of their work at least some of the time. The question, when you receive a rejection slip, is what you are going to do with it. Are you going to use rejection slips as an excuse for self-pity, or for getting angry at a publisher, or are you going to use rejection slips to improve your writing?

While it is not always the case, many times rejection slips will contain specifics as to why the article or submission in question was not accepted. This sort of rejection slip can prove invaluable. For example, a rejection slip might point out a style issue, such as the overuse of passive voice. A rejection slip might point out the existence of an inordinate amount of grammatical errors. A rejection slip might, in some cases, point to ways in which the submission fails to meet the publisher's guidelines. No matter what the case, focusing on that particular area allows you to figure out what must be done in order to improve your writing.

In many cases, you may be able to use a rejection slip to improve your writing and then resubmit the piece to the same publisher. Even if the publisher does not accept resubmissions, you may be able to use the rejection slip and the notes contained in it to rework the piece and submit it to a different publisher.

You can even use rejection slips as motivation. While some folks see rejection slips as reasons to become discouraged and disheartened, you can use rejection slips to motivate you. Stick them up on your refrigerator. Every time you see them, remind yourself how you are going, someday, to prove that particular publisher wrong. While this particular tactic doesn't work for everyone, it might work for you if you try it.

While no writer likes to see a rejection slip, you can learn to see rejection slips as part of the process of honing your craft. With each rejection slip and each subsequent revision and submission, you become a better writer.

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