No one likes rejection. When you’re a writer staring at a rejection letter, realizing how much one little word can hurt (and wondering why words have turned against you—you love them!), you’ll need something to make you feel better.

I’ve been through some rejections—a whole year in fact. The first one stung. Others rolled off my back. Another infuriated me. They all inspired me to regroup. I spent 2018 re-writing my MS, changing chapters, events, and characters, and now I’m ready to submit again.

Because I’ve been down this road before, I know what to expect. I’d like to say my skin is thick and I’ll take each new rejection with grace and move through my submission list unattached, crossing off the “no’s” until I get to that elusive “yes”. I want to say there will be no tears, no meltdowns, no thoughts of giving up the…