I received my first rejection of 2023 yesterday. It didn’t sting too badly. Partially, that was because I’ve had hundreds of rejections, so I am becoming inured to them. Partially, it was because, honestly, I had forgotten that I had submitted the story to the publication. (That’s a standard strategy for me: the less I think about stories that are currently under consideration, the less it stings if they aren’t accepted.) Mostly, though, I’m at the end of the cycle of personalized rejections.
When you start sending stories out, you tend to get form rejections. Over time, the nature of the rejections changes. Whether it is because you have grown as a writer or are better known among editors, the rejections start becoming more personal. If you grow enough over time, they will become laudatory: “I liked the story, but it isn’t quite what I need.” Often, these sentiments will be accompanied by encouragement to submit in the future. (I have had one experience where an editor rejected two of my stories but asked me to keep submitting; I sold the third submission to her.) This was the kind of rejection I received.
In celebration, I submitted half a dozen stories to various publications today. One was rejected within hours – a new record! The others – I’ve already forgotten about them (I keep a spreadsheet of submissions so I don’t have to remember). We’ll see what happens.
It may seem like cold comfort to get positive rejections. But I gotta tell ya, it’s a hell of a lot nicer than form letters!