First Rejection, What's step 2?

Find another place and send it out. Rinse repeat until home found or markets run out. Generic rejection just means "not for us." Doesn't mean "bad" or "needs fixing."

Alternatively, keep posting on AW until you get to 50 posts and then post it in Share Your Work and get input from experienced writers, fix if needed based on input, THEN submit to place #2.

The short story market is hard and slow, but you can get there as long as you keep plodding along and use the tool available to you, including AW.

Generic advice, but check the Submission Grinder to find new markets, and start a spreadsheet now to keep track of what you've sent where. It builds up pretty fast.

You shouldn't rewrite something based off one rejection. Keep sending it out and be prepared to get many, MANY more rejections. That's part of the game. You can improve it later on if you keep getting form letters. Good luck!

Also, love your story, but be prepared for the possibility that it may not find a home. Send it to all the publications that feel like it might be a good fit, but while you're doing that, make sure you're working on something else you're excited about. It might take a few tries, with a few stories, before you finally get an acceptance.

Second rejection.

caw