: Re: How do you cope with rejection? I know that Bradbury was rejected about 800 times. I know the famous JK Rowling story. Yet the question is lurking in my mind, becoming stronger and clearer

@Tiffany377

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What I will give as an answer is based on my personal opinion.

I have remarked that you keep asking yourself questions that put you in a negative way and that you can't answer for sure. I often did the same, and I never got a satisfying response to any of them. You put too much expectation upon yourself. I think it's a good thing to question yourself when you get rejected, but it's another to linger on this stage. At worst, it will achieve you depression.

Instead, you should focus your attention on things you can actively answer or do. To cope with rejection, you might want to understand why you got rejected. Ask yourself about the rejection itself. Is it because you were bad at selling your story? Is it because of one stupid detailse? If your beta readers told you they liked the story, why would they be the only one? There is a thousand of reasons one can have to dislike your story, but there is a million to love every part of it. If I were you, I would first ponder all these questions, and if they did not reach a satisfying conclusion I would start digging further.

I would try to obtain subjective critics of my writing, a.k.a. what is going wrong from an outside point of view. There is always people who won't like your story. If you're think you can take it well, you should definitely go for it. Think of self-publishing a test story just so you could say for sure what is right or wrong.
Perseverate. I would try something else when submitting. A different layout. A different strategy. Perhaps even asking the reason of rejection, even if I have very little hope of having a response. Being accepted is often the same as finding the good person.
I would compare my story with other, successful, works. Sometimes, I'm just missing a key point. A stupid oversight. Don't think you are bad even if you get rejected. Sometimes it's only a tiny details that makes all the difference. Find it. Don't give up on your passion.

If you want to cope with the rejection, ask yourself the right questions. If you're really not that good, what stops you from getting better?

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