Rejection Rewards

Well, today marks my first rejection of 2010. Uggh. I am a praise-craver, so rejection notices can really bring me down (especially that one from an unnamed horror site that said my story was boring and offered nothing new. Yeah. I'll never send that guy another manuscript!), or at least wreck my diet plans. But I have a new strategy that puts a little bit of "yay" in the experience.

I don't know where I was reading the blog post about rejection, but one of the comments was from Christine, a bona fide genius. She said that every rejection she received, she paid herself a fee! The higher the stakes, the bigger the pay-out: $5 for a query, $10 for a partial, $20 for a full manuscript. And at the end of the year, she used the money for a spending spree.

I love this idea!!

Yeah, I know that rejection is a constant fact of life in the writing industry, and that I should just get used to it. I also know that my rejections give me opportunities to learn more about writing and the publishing experience. And yes, I know that every rejection represents an effort to put myself out there, and I should be proud of myself for even sending things out the door. But dang it, I'm like a potty-training puppy here, people! I like rewards!

So to boost my flagging spirits, I'm putting $2 in my Rejection Rewards Jar tonight. And at the end of the year, I'm going to Powells and buying whatever crap I want. I wonder what they've got in the rare book room ...