Savannah Watson

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This post is all about rejections, and not the romantic kind.

Let me just go ahead and get this out of the way. Rejections suck (both romantic and writing); there’s no way around that. Rejections can make writers feel like failures, question their skills, or even consider giving up on writing.

You may have heard this before, but I’m here to remind you that rejections are a normal part of the writing process. In my opinion, rejections (just like published pieces) are proof you have tried, which is something to be proud of.

The key is how you look at and handle the rejection.

Instead of taking a negative approach, I think it’s good practice to look at rejections like shoes that don’t fit. Maybe the place you submitted to wasn’t the right fit for your work. Maybe your style doesn’t match their style. You may have to pull a Goldilocks and find the place that’s “just right” for your work.

I actually began the draft for this post a few years ago, about 5 minutes after receiving my first rejection. On a hunch, I opened my email’s junk folder; at the very top was an email from a magazine I had submitted to, rejecting my piece. I read the email and felt disappointed, but interestingly, I was not as soul-crushed as I thought I was going to be. And I think this may be because of my outlook on it.

Yes, it was my first attempt at publishing. And yes, I thought my piece was really good (that’s obviously why I submitted it). And I will even admit that, yes, my first thought was ‘am I not good enough to be a writer?’ But I shut that thought down immediately. Instead, I took a step back and changed my thought process. Maybe the place I had chosen to submit to was not a good fit for my piece.

Ultimately, I believe the most important thing is to submit again. Don’t let rejection stop you from trying again. It’s great if the place you submitted gave you feedback about why they rejected it, but that won’t always happen. So, submit again and again. The worst thing you can do is give up.

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At the time of posting this, I have received three magazine or writing contest rejections and one manuscript rejection. I even have a submission tracker (I call it my rejection tracker). Those four rejections remind me that I have put my work out there four times.

And those four rejections will not be my last, I am sure! But that won’t stop me from submitting in the future.

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