A Rejection That Actually Made Me Feel Cheerful

Just got a rejection from Angels on Earth that was so upbeat it actually made me feel warm and fuzzy! The preprinted part was cheerful enough (representative excerpts below):

"...we can only publish one out of 250 stories we receive. That means we can't use 249 perfectly wonderful stories! Hopefully, you will feel a closer of the Angels on Earth family now that you've shared a special segment of your life with us. We are sorry we can't share it with the rest of the family."

Then there was a handwritten note: "Dear Barbara, Thanks so much (with so underlined!) for submitting this."

Whew! This is the first time that a reject actually cheered me up.

Julie Worth said:

This would bring out my cynical side. I'd see it as a variant of "you are all winners!" and never submit to them again.

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Yeah, that's the funny thing. Even though I couldn't help but be cheered, the handwritten comments weren't as meaningful because it felt like they were just a part of the upbeatness vs. a real interest in my work. Somehow when an editor jots encouragement on an otherwise "cold" rejection, it is more inspiring. It was a feel-good to read, but I probably won't submit again.