Things You'll Need:
- Perseverance
- Confidence
- A strong will
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Step 1
Receiving the Rejection. Initially, opening and reading a rejection is an emotional let down. Just take a deep breath, read it once or twice and if it's too stressful, go back to it the next day. Try to keep your emotions under control by taking a walk, petting your dog/cat, or do something you enjoy.
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Step 2
Interpret the rejection. A good majority of rejections are pretty short without any reason for the rejection. Since you can't determine why your work was rejected you should not spend too much time trying to figure it out. Instead, just move on to trying to get your work published elsewhere.
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Step 3
Some editors do give their reasons for rejecting your work. However, there are two types of explanations you can receive; constructive criticism, or mean bashing.
For constructive criticism, it would be well worth your time to go through your piece to see if you missed something that the editor mentioned. Just remember that it doesn't mean your work is bad, it just may need a little fine tuning.
As for the mean bashing rejection--These types of rejections are really not necessary and should not be taken to heart. These types can range from a big mistake on your part to the editor being a jerk. To handle this, focus on anything that was your mistake and correct it. Remember, everyone is human and makes mistakes that we sometimes don't catch. -
Step 4
As a writer you need to have perseverance, attitude, conviction and a "thick skin." You need to believe that what you write is good and you need to keep submitting no matter how many times you're rejected. Having a good attitude about yourself and you work is also important. You need to accept rejections and criticism while still retaining your personal balance. Remember, you're not the only one who has ever had their work rejected. Even the most accomplished writers have had their work rejected.
