My best rejection ever

Sometimes rejection can be bliss. Seriously.

I know how much it can hurt. Like everyone else, I've experienced a healthy portion of rejection in various forms. But yesterday, I received a rejection that gave me the floating-on-clouds feeling.

After revising and submitting my short story to a new webzine last month (see previous post), I did my best to forget about it. And I did. My primary goal was simply to rewrite the story to my best ability, which I had already achieved. Of course I wondered every now and then if the editor had read my story yet, and if she liked it or hated it or even cared about it. But I kept busy with other things and didn't worry about the outcome. One of my favorite mantras is, "Blessed are those who expect nothing, for they shall never be disappointed."

So...yesterday I was minding my business as I had been doing for the past month - only at a more frenetic pace because suddenly I was getting really busy with schoolwork and work work all at once. And what should I discover in my inbox that afternoon but a reply from the webzine editor! I was pretty certain it was a rejection, as the premiere issue is scheduled for release this month and it would be rather last-minute to be receiving an offer for publication now.

Nevertheless, I held my breath as I opened the email. I sort of stumbled through it once in disbelief, and then pored over the words again...and again. This wasn't an ego fest. I truly couldn't believe I was seeing a generous dose of encouragement framing the more than civil rejection. The editor's reply was almost - dare I say it - friendly! Although she used one of the stock rejection phrases, something along the lines of "it was with regret that she could not use my story at this time," she also gave me some very positive feedback. She found my story "captivating" and said I had succeeded in writing "a protagonist [she] really cared for." And if that weren't enough to send me over the edge of writer's paradise, she invited me to submit to the webzine again. Wow!

If you're an aspiring author, or know anything about writing for publication, you know how rare it is to receive direct feedback from an editor or agent. The most common type of response to an unknown, unpublished writer's query is the form rejection, which is randomly generated from a library of about five stock phrases - all variations of "We don't want your manuscript. Have a nice day." I've received a few of these and have yet to shed a tear - I know rejections are part of a writer's life and I'm just starting my collection.

A positive, specific comment from a busy editor or agent is therefore a gem to be treasured - and invested. I will allow myself a little time to be deliriously happy; and then I will refocus on my schoolwork and work work; and then, as soon as I have a chance to write again, I'm going to try my hand at another story to submit to the webzine.

One more thing: I can't resist ending this post with a HURRAH!