2026 Rejection Count: 2
I’ve received my second official rejection this year!
My first rejection was a short story I submitted to a reputable publication. They have a great turnaround time for responses and I was able to witness their lightning fast ‘we don’t want it’ form response first hand.
This new rejection was from a contest where writers submitted the first 5000 words of a full novel manuscript. There were apparently 15,000 entries and they only selected 1% of them to continue on to the next round. I didn’t even make it past the first round.
This rejection forced me to uncomfortably confront my writing. I became consumed by feelings of not being good enough to even make it psat the qualifiers. I’ve briefly questioned whether I should continue as a writer at all, maybe I just don’t have it.
But then, I read some of my older stories and went through drafts on some of my newer, not-yet-published works. I realized that while I do have room to grow as a writer, I do have what it takes.
I’m taking this rejection on the chin, sulking, and moving forward with a new disposition and a new goal: I need to push myself, improve my writing so much that my works are undeniable.
In other words, I’m not satisfied being a good writer with interesting stories; I want to be a great writer, a boundry-pushing writer, with stories pivotal to the art of writing.
With more time and a sharper focus, I know I can get there.
Mutant Pizza 