“The editors have carefully read your submission, but we regret that it does not meet our current needs.”

Ouch. Rejection hurts. It hurts because it’s personal. My writing is a part of me; the story an extension of my life story. And when someone turns it down, it gouges a neat little hole in my ego.

Rejection is a bee, buzzing around your head, daring you to swat at it — to attempt a submission and risk failure. Sometimes, you get away with it, but the majority of the time, you get stung. The sting is sharp and it makes you question whether you should’ve gone outside at all.

Right now, I’m disappointed that this lit journal is passing on my story. But I can’t let the sting keep me from trying again. This is the nature of the writing business — you can’t succeed without a few failures. So, I’m putting some ice on my pride. I’m going to edit the story and submit again. And again and again until someone publishes it.

While a sting is painful, you can either be conquered by it or motivated by it. I choose the latter.

— 30 —

I’m a writer and photographer living in Flagstaff, AZ, where the bees are starting to poke their heads out of their hives. You can catch the latest buzz on my Twitter feed, @jonnyeberle.

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