When a rejection comes in, if you’re like most writers, you sneer at it for a good long while. Maybe you print a copy and tack it to the corkboard, throw darts at it, and then burn the wilted remains. You circle all the ten-dollar words in red, shred the entire thing, and stuff a voodoo doll named after the editor, before sharpening your pins and…
Wait, no. That’s not what you should do at all. Here’s what you need in your first aid kit:
Item One: Something comforting
Sometimes, I will think a certain story is perfect for a certain market and when the editor tells me otherwise, it can be crushing. It’s okay to be disappointed and its okay to mourn the rejection–allow yourself a bit of comfort. Maybe you’d like to indulge in my favorite double date, Ben & Jerry’s. Beth tells me we can’t go on a week-long cocaine binge, so remember your limits, but do allow yourself some comfort before you plunge right back in.
Item Two: The next market
The first market didn’t want the story. Check it off your list, and move to the next market. The important thing is to keep the story in circulation. The story can’t sell if it’s sitting in a drawer or your hard drive. Unless it’s in an editor’s possession, it’s probably not going to sell, so make sure the story is in fighting form, and send it back out the door. Tell it not to come home until it finds work!
Item Three: The next story
If you only have one story out there, of course you’re going to be on pins and needles until you hear back from an editor. Always have more than one story out and about. It improves your odds and keeps you from going insane. Write the story, finish the story, send the story out. Repeat. Have stories in the hands of your first readers, too. That way, you can agonize over what they think of it, and wonder if they’re tearing it apart, and…
Item Four: Professionalism
That thing I said about the voodoo doll up there? Don’t do that. It’s normal to grouse about rejections and maybe even editors, but the speculative fiction community is a fairly close one, and word can spread. Act professional at all times–don’t let them see you sweat, or curse, or prick voodoo dolls. And definitely don’t kill the editor in your next story…
Item Five: Inspiration
Sometimes after a rejection, especially if it’s on a story I thought was ideal for that market, I need to fill myself back up. I read a book that’s a favorite, or a new book by a favorite author, or poetry. Sometimes, it’s okay to step away from the keyboard and get full of life before you come back and eye Item Two.
Item Six: Control
You can’t control everything. This is especially true when it comes to selling your fiction. A story you think is an ideal fit for a certain market may not be an ideal fit in the editor’s eyes. Focus on what you can control. Don’t say, “I’m going to sell twelve stories this year.” Say: “I’m going to write twelve new stories this year!” Don’t say, “I’m going to make that editor regret rejecting me!” Say: “I’m going to send that story to another market and then another if need be, and show those editors that I’m dedicated to my craft, and to improving upon it.”
Your Turn
How do you deal with rejection? Tell us in the comments!