It sucks.
No, really.
“Entropy of Memory” was just rejected today by Clarkesworld Magazine. (This is a great publication very much deserving its Hugo nomination this year. They reportedly publish only twelve stories from slush each year, and they get hundreds of submissions. I would have been honored to be included in their magazine, but I fully understand the demands of the market, the state of the genre, and my own previously unpublished nature.) This makes a total of seventy-three (73) rejections for me over the past several years. Some of them are shorts submitted to various markets, most of them are query letters to agents, and a couple of them are attempts at getting one of my novels out of the slush pile.
It begs the question, doesn’t it? Everyone says: “Persevere!” Part of me is struggling with this idea. I want to curl up in the fetal position and protect my ego from any further body blows.
The best thing to do is what I’m doing right now. Hunker down, punch away at the keyboard and keep slugging.
Reject me, will you? Hah! I’ll just send you MORE!
![Let’s Kill Hitler [HD]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51hESmStH-L._SL160_.jpg)
I’m glad you’re persevering, although the occasional fetal position is perfectly acceptable. Lots before you had many rejections before becoming published. Keep the faith!
You will persevere. Chin up! Submit. Submit. Submit.
Heh. Thank god I’m not the only one. Thats a lot of rejections. Way more than me. Just think. Your that much closer to being published.
You will succeed! Take a deep breath, play with the dog and the kiddo, smooch the wife, and take hold of the flame, brother!
Come to the Dark Side…