Strike out, try again even harder with enthusiasm!

PSkertich81

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I'm no expert in this rejection letter sorcery. However, my view may be different on this subject matter. Getting rejected sucks, period. There's no band aids to mend the wounds back together. But, what if you're able to view these rejections as almost like a puzzle. A puzzle determined to solve. A puzzle of one step closer to achieving your dreams.

I've sent short story manuscripts to some horror magazines. They all striked out. Sure, I was devastated. I crawled into my fetal position and sucked my thumb. However, I looked at those rejection letters, one more time. I googled their meanings up. They were even standard rejections. They addressed me by name, told me it wasn't a best fit for them, and they're sorry. Instead of signing off as APEX team, their senior editor signed their name. I googled the heck out of types of rejection letters. Hold and behold, they were "tier" rejections or your personal rejections. It struck me like a lightening bolt. I was getting somewhere. Sure, my stories may have not been their best interest in their magazines. But I was sure in the right direction. How many times Ben Franklin told he was a failure or Albert Einstein was told he was dumb? I may get my history confused, but look at those two spearhead figures. They kept on pursuing their dreams and kept on pushing. They marched through the murky and crappiest water because they believed in themselves.

It may be me, but I find myself loving each rejection letter with enthusiasm. Each time I study them underneath a microscope, they tell me what I need to work on. About two months ago, I submitted my other short horror story to another magazine. I've targeted the right magazine for the the short story. I have to wait another month until i get word. However, I continued to write my new sci-fi horror manuscript. I finished it this month with 3 revisions and a polish. I submitted to several literacy agents I've found on manuscriptwishlist site and Agent Query site. I just got my first rejection letter today. I was over the moon, this felt different for some reason. I'll post it below:

Dear Paul,

Thank you for submitting THE UNICORNS FROM SPACE. While I found the concept intriguing, the story didn't grab me as I had hoped it would. It could be that I am just not the right agent for your project.

Don’t give up; there are plenty of literary agents out there who may feel differently. I wish you the best of luck with your future endeavors.

*NOTE: I changed title of my manuscript. I'm very guarded with my work. I'm sure you all understand.

The query letter passed. The agent was excited enough to read the manuscript but something didn't click with them. However, the agent was encouraging and believed an another agent would possibly be more inclined to accept my project.

I'm not parading in my boxers with a bottle of beer in my hand, but I'll have to wait until more responses come in. Once, I have enough of them I can figure out what I can do to improve upon my manuscript.

I posted this because I wanted to give people hope. I wanted to motivate people to the moon. I've read some threads from other places that people get discouraged so easily. When they get discouraged, they go straight to self-publishing. Nothing wrong with self-publishing. I've done it. But I didn't like it, I wanted a challenge. I wanted to have my books in people's hands. But, if self-publishing is your thing then cool beans.

Rejection is like finding the right love of your life. There are many frogs that are kissed from the pond. Yet, there are only that one special person who will accept you. Or, on the flip side, how many light bulbs did Thomas Edison have to break until finding the perfect light bulb invention? I hope I got that analogy right.

Alright, awesome folks, I just wanted to post this to help everyone out. I'm still going through the song and dance.