Had Any Good Rejections Lately?

Beginning writers, particularly those not yet published, tend to have thin skins. Minor criticisms hurt, and rejections crush them. Seasoned writers develop thick skins early. Those who can't toughen up quit writing -- or at least quit trying to publish.

You should wear your rejections as badges of honor. Some of the world's most critically and commercially successful writers had difficulty landing agents and publishers. James Joyce's The Dubliners was rejected 22 times. Margaret Mitchell's Gone with the Wind struck out with 38 publishers, and the manuscript for Chicken Soup for the Soul was turned down 140 times.

Your rejection slips put you in some pretty good company. Personally, my most scornful rejection letter offered me the following advice: "Jack up the title and run a real article in under it." That's exactly what I did, and the article was published (eventually).