I discovered a website today I've never seen before: RejectionCollection.com.  It's interesting to look around.  It's a little disturbing, though.  There are intelligent, composed responses on there.  But most of them, at least most of the ones I managed to find, are angry, and often nasty, rants.  Extreme examples of rejection taken personally and vilification of editors.

Folks, better is expected of us.  We're writers.  We're supposed to think carefully and make sure the words we put down are really what we mean.

I wonder if some of those posters on that site are aware that there are editors out there watching it too.  That's how I found the site, incidentally, was a link in an editor's blog.  Considering that the rejection letters are posted in their entirety, and that many of them are personal rejection letters, and even include the name of the piece being rejected...how hard would it be for an editor to figure out who was flaming them?  I don't know that I would want to burn my bridges that way.

Yeah, I've had plenty of rejections.  Some of them were encouraging.  Some of them stung.  But no matter how rude the rejection, no matter how offended and angry it might make me at the time, I would never post it on a public website with scorching commentary.  Because the thing about websites is, you never know whose eyes might be watching.

I'll stick with my old-fashioned method of dealing with rejection; stomp around the house for awhile, then come back later when I've gotten over it and re-read the letter with a cool head and see what I can learn from it.  Honestly, very little of what any editor writes in a rejection letter is meant personally.  It's very hard not to take it that way, especially at first, but it's the truth.  Once you accept that, once you believe it, rejections become a whole lot easier to take.  At least that's how it worked for me.  I don't even need to stomp any more.  I just shrug and go on.

So please, please, I beg you--don't publicly flame an editor for rejecting your work.  At least, not if you want them to read anything you write ever again.

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Tell you the truth i was searching early on the web and i came to it i found it comforting somewhat but i have to agree with what you said there is way too much ranting.

Hi Sandra! Jay here and I couldn't help but to comment on your post. Some people will just not understand,will they? As fellow author, also write about what is important to me, as well as what I find fascinating. One thing that I have learned,as you have, is not to display anything unless you have thought it through. Once too often, I've committed my angry rantings to paper and regretted it once I calmed down, but just a little too late. Oh well, we all have to learn, don't we?These days I try to keep karma in mind even when I really don't like someone..sooner or later our attitude towards others comes back full circle and smacks us full in the face...Great to hear that you've found a place for one of your stories that satifies your standards. Good luck with your ongoing project. C Ya!