Thank you for your submission, but unfortunately it just didn’t grab me…

It is easy to see rejection as a failure. We often assume that the odds simply did not fall in our favor. But there is another possibility that we writers do not like to consider:

Maybe the story simply isn’t ready yet.

You Are Too Close to Your Own Work

Accurately judging the quality of your own work is one of the most difficult parts of writing.

Because you created everything, you inherently know what every character is thinking. You understand the interactions behind every relationship and you can clearly see the setting in your imagination. When you read a scene, your mind automatically fills in details that may not be evident to other readers.

You may have read the story so many times that you are no longer reading what is actually on the page. You are reading the improved version that exists in your mind.

This is why rejection can be valuable.

An editor who turns down your story may be saving you from publishing work that does not yet represent your best abilities. In a way, rejection is protecting your brand.

A Little Pain Can Prevent a Lot of Embarrassment

Receiving a rejection is painful.

Having a weak story published where hundreds or thousands of readers can see it is much worse. I have had one story published that ended up in print that had a typo – my typo. As much as I love that story and getting it into print, I am embarrassed every time I see that. In the annals of this very blog, I often only notice typos and grammatical issues after the post goes live. It is easy to read past those little issues.

A rejection keeps an unfinished story out of that spotlight. It gives you another opportunity to reconsider the opening, strengthen the characters, remove unnecessary scenes, improve the ending, or rewrite the entire piece if necessary.

That editor may not have given you detailed feedback. Most editors do not have the time. Still, the rejection itself contains useful information.

Rejection Is a Chance to Return to the Drawing Board

Instead of immediately sending a rejected story to the next publication on your list, take a moment to reconsider it.

You do not necessarily need to rewrite the story after every rejection. One editor’s opinion is still only one editor’s opinion. However, repeated rejections should eventually trigger a serious review.

Look at the story as critically as you can.

Does the opening create a reason to keep reading?

Is every sentence, or word in flash fiction, necessary? My metric on this is whether the sentence or word in question serves to move the story forward or to develop the character.

Does the main character want something specific and is there a reason they can’t have it (creds to David Mammet)?

Is there enough conflict?

Is the ending satisfying, surprising and inevitable (Mammet again)?

If you haven’t done so already, you should give the story to a trusted reader who has not seen it before and resist the urge to explain what the story is about. Let the reader experience it naturally. When getting feedback from them later, pay close attention to where the reader became confused or where the story felt like it was dragging for them. This is an issue I see in many submissions.

Be Grateful for Rejection

The editor who rejected your story has done you a favor. Instead of allowing a less-than-stellar version of your work to appear in front of thousands of readers, that editor gave you an opportunity to improve yourself and your work.

If you allow the sting of rejection to pass take that message for what it is worth – an indication that something needs to change, someday a much better version of that story could be accepted.

When that happens, it will feel so much better because you used rejection to improve your story and yourself. You will be proud of the work knowing it is the best you can put forth.

Let me know what you think in the comments below.

-James