Rejection. It comes in a number of nicely packaged phrases. The one I got today was a voice on the phone that said, “It was a really hard decision, but we ended up choosing the other finalist."

The one I got last month went like this: “The judges so wanted to fund your grant, and you were the very next on the list, but they ran out of money."

And the month before that? Well, about five variations on “While there is much to admire about your work, still it is not quite right for us..."

What? A published writer, and still getting rejected? Yes, of course. I run into slammed doors and blank walls just like everyone else. But there’s a big difference between how I take rejection now and how I took it years ago, and for that I have to thank an agent who absolutely hated my writing. more >