A Writer’s Ritual for Rejection

NOT A GOOD FIT

TAKING A DIFFERENT DIRECTION

DON’T TAKE THIS REJECTION TO HEART

THE TIMING ISN’T QUITE RIGHT

NOT A REFLECTION ON YOU

A HEARTBREAKING DECISION

DOESN’T MEET PRESENT NEEDS

All these phrases come from rejection letters I’ve received. Not from love interests, but from literary publications. The language around sending in writing for publication—submitting—mirrors the language of dating and relationships. And the rejection can sting nearly as much. No matter how ...