Failure being an opportunity to begin again applies to rejections, too.  Rejections aren’t really failures per se, but they can be an opportunity to revisit your story and improve it.  You might not have to start over, but sometimes it works.  I wrote a story from a child’s point of view and my writing mentor suggested I change it so I’d understand the motivation of the antagonist, who was really nasty.  I did and that was the story that won an award and got published first.

“The Crossroads” was published in the Sheridan Edwards Review in 2000 and I’m very proud of that story.  It all happened because I started over and discovered something even better.

Don’t let rejection get you down. Use it as a building block.

BD