Oh, I’ve had my fair share of rejection over the years. Being a writer means you have to develop thick skin. I’ve dealt with feedback I’ve disagreed with, bad reviews, publications that didn’t like my stories, and people who disparaged my choice of profession. Yet, I persist.
When I first started to submit my stories to magazines and publishers, I expected to be rejected. In fact, the very first thing I submitted was a poem to The New Yorker magazine. I figured that if I was going to be rejected, I wanted my first one to be from one of the best magazines out there. And they obliged. I received a form rejection a few weeks later. I tacked it to the corkboard in my office.
That corkboard ended up being my Wall of Rejection. I tacked rejection after rejection to it. They were badges of honor. Proof that I had been in the trenches. Eventually, the board became so full that I couldn’t see the frame around it. I was actually a little concerned that it might fall from all the weight.
Truth be told, I had acceptances mixed in there. Not that I tacked those to the wall. To me, the rejections that were initially demotivating became a source of inspiration. They pushed me to continue writing, to push myself to be a better writer, and to think outside the norms. 
To me, these rejections showed that I was trying and I wasn’t giving up. I embraced them. I think that’s the best way to deal with any disappointment: embrace it, accept it, own it. Letting rejection get me down wasn’t going to motivate me. Sure, it was disappointing to see the “Thanks, but no thanks”, but at least I knew I gave it a shot. And really, the rejections gave the acceptances more meaning.
Of course, print fiction magazines are slowly fading and many of those that rejected me are no longer around. There are online publications, but in the age of AI, many of them limit submissions due to the overwhelming onslaught of computer-written fiction. Now I focus on self-publishing. It probably means I reach a smaller audience than I would in a national magazine, but I’m okay with that.
And I still have all those rejections in a folder. I pull them out every so often to look through. Fond memories of a time when writers strove to get published in print magazines.
Maybe I should donate them to a museum. Artifacts of days gone by.
RB
Your story is so inspiring! Turning rejections into badges of honor on your Wall of Rejection shows true resilience. It’s a powerful reminder that every “no” can lead to a more meaningful “yes.” 🙂
Thanks, Ilze!
Persistance pays dividends Richard
Indeed it does, Sheree! Patience helps, as well.
True!
I got a hoot out of this post, Richard. I do not submit (too lazy) and am only published in my own blog and the writing group I belong to. I consider those quarterly publication as coasters and use them for that purpose. A person only needs so many coasters.
LOL! A good use for them…I hadn’t thought of that!