MAIL!!!

I'm sitting here typing this as I wait for the mail. It's the highlight of my day, especially when there is an SASE from a contest or an editor in the stack of junk mail, catalogs and bills. Waiting vs. working. Waiting for that reply that takes weeks or months can be frustrating. The daily trudging to the box to find nothing is disheartening. And then. . . and then. . . IT arrives. My heart beats a little faster as I worry the envelope. It is good news? Or another rejection? It's like being in a game show awaiting the right answer. Do you feel this way too?

Do you get happy when it's good news? Or there is check enclosed? Do you do a little victory dance? Do you slack off and wallow in your winnings?

Oh, rats! Another rejection. Damn, I thought it was so good. Do you wallow in pity? Do you read your work over and over questioning where is this bad? Good? Couldn't they give me a clue with a remark or two! Do you give up on that piece/ms? Or do you feverishly rework it? Or do you let it set awhile and go back to it later?

There is nothing wrong with any of these responses. The key is you must never give up, never stop working. You can throw it in the circular file if you really want to, but you must begin something new then. And you must realize two things: there is more competition out there than ever before and rejection is selection. Let me say that again: REJECTION IS SELECTION. It is not personal. It does not necessarily mean your work is not good. It means xyz (the judge/editor) simply didn't care for it. So, don't get dumpy. Send it to someone else. Keep sending it. There is a judge/editor out there that will SELECT rather than reject.