J.R. Johnson

One thing I like about being a writer is the rejection. That sounds weird, I know. 

As I’ve mentioned before,* I used to hate the cycle, write, submit, be rejected, write submit, be rejected. Then one day you wake up and realize that rejection is no longer as painful as it once was. And some time after that, it occurs to you that rejection is really just another part of the cycle, winter to acceptance’s spring. Or whatever. 

Don’t get me wrong, acceptances are definitely more fun. But they aren’t the only way to mark writing progress.

All I know is that my email tonight contained an editor’s, “Sorry, it was great and all but it’s just not great for me” email and it was Not A Big Deal. More like another hole in my writer’s punch card. 

Rejection, and the possibility of it, used to dictate a lot of what I did or did not do with my writing. No longer. 

Tonight, my first thought after skimming the rejection was, “Cool cool cool, glad they finally got back to me.” My second thought was, “What’s next?”

* A few examples: Making the Most of Rejection; Keep Writing; Exposure Therapy 101.

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