You can learn from rejection.  Don’t ‘huh?’ me, you heard correctly.  Rather than allow a rejection to put you into a fetal position, and cause you to cry and rage against the world, doesn’t it make more sense to figure out the why of it?

     In writing, there are several forms of rejections sent out by agents and editors.  I’ll list a few.  A. The form letter, this one is no help whatsoever.  B. The ‘we love your work’ rejection letter where they actually court you a bit then drop you on your ass leaving you feeling like a jilted lover.  C. The rejection letter that comes with constructive criticism—one of the best types to get.  D. The nasty ‘don’t quit your day job’ letter.

     The form letter is the lazy way out.  Nine chances out of ten your manuscript sat on their desk for a few weeks and they never read it.  Check them off your list and try someone else. 

     We love your work kick in the teeth rejections are the hardest to take.  I’ve heard seasoned writers cry over them.

     The constructive criticism rejection letter is one to take seriously.  Read it carefully, listen to what they tell you, go back to your manuscript and work like hell on it.

     The don’t quit your day job letter is tough to take but if everyone who has read your work seems to say the same thing, well, maybe your book really wasn’t as great as you thought it was.  Then again, the person who read it might have had a bad day.  Try a critiquing group and listen to them.