When I was in High School my English Teacher gave us an excerpt from Stephen King's book ON WRITING in which he described the long and arduous parade of rejection slips he received. Apparently he put them on a long metal spike on his wall above his desk so he could see the thick mess of paper every time he sat down to work.

In the age of e-mail, I don't save my rejections, but I can honestly say without shame that I've received more than my fair share of "unfortunately we have to pass at this time" letters. It is part of an author's life, and, now that I am an independently published author, I'm still trying to get the odd short story published here and there.

I have no shame when it comes to writing short stories. I go where they will publish me and take what pay I can get. I've written clean to dirty, long to short, happy to sad all with the express purpose in mind of maintaining the strictest professionalism. I want to be respected and remembered by publishers, editors, and agents as a civil person working hard to improve my craft and make an honest living in this arena of fiction and prose.

So, with that in mind, here are my tips for maintaining your cool when you receive a form rejection slip.

First, reply almost immediately to the rejection with a short, simple, and never cynical thank you to the person who took the time to read and consider your story. Even if they say "no" you should be grateful to have had their consideration.

Second, get out your submission letter, your sample materials, your manuscript, and your notes and take another good long objective look at everything. I find the best ideas come to me when I've been rejected and that editing and revising, tidying up my manuscript and re-working some things (even if what I originally sent in was good) helps me to cope and to improve on things. Remember, your book is never too perfect ;)

Third, avoid depressants. Brew some hot tea, go for a walk, play with your kids or your pet, find a friend and go for a walk, do something that floods your senses with positive energy.

Finally, don't dwell on what you can't change and focus instead on what you can. Maybe you can start a new project? Maybe you can change genres? Maybe you can indulge in a hobby or a craft other than writing for a while. Stimulate other parts of your brain and then come back to your submission materials in a week or so.

If you have any helpful tips for handling rejection, please post them in the comments section.

Happy writing,

Ben Smith