Nathan comes home from his first day at school. Mother asks, “What did you learn today?”
He replies, “Not enough. I have to go back tomorrow.”

As writers, we have to have realistic and attainable goals.

Writing is something that comes easy for most aspiring writers. Writing well is not. Have you experienced any of the following?

A trusted friend read your story and picked it apart.

An editor bled red ink all over it and suggested at least two more drafts.

A beta-reader lost interest half-way through the story.

One of the most difficult things about being a writer is handling rejection. Many of us have already pushed ourselves way beyond our comfort zone just to allow someone to see what we wrote. Rejection could easily send us into a tailspin.

So what’s a writer to do? Quit? Rail against the unfairness of it all? Throw a pity party?

Okay, I admit to the occasional pity party, but I try to put a time limit on it. I feel sorry for myself for thirty minutes, then I pick myself up and get back to work.

Just as a first grader doesn’t learn it all in one day, most of us will not become world-famous writers overnight. Brilliance requires practice!

Discouraged? Don’t be. Keep writing. Every time you write you grow. Rejections are just “pop quizzes” that show you where you need to improve. When your writing has matured and become salable, you will be amazed how far you’ve come.