I got a bejection yesterday on a story I was sure would sell to that market, so I did the bejection dance and got over it. Here’s the choreography on the bejection dance, in case you ever need to do it:

Begin from a static pose, as the horrible news hits.

Slow, graceful movements, with lots of bendy bits and curvy bits as if floating in a sea of sorrow.

Still slow, the graceful movements become angular and painful-looking, as self-doubt attacks.

Freeze. Unbend. Straighten. Realization–that one market is just one market and the story is good–strikes, like a series of sudden sharp chords moving from dissonant to triumphantly harmonious, banishing the self-doubt.

Rapid, graceful movements, with lots of twirls and leaps and flinging about of arms. Maybe some of those things up on toes then flat on feet then up on toes then flat on feet in another position–you know what I’m talking about–up-flap-up-flop-up-flap-up-flop–signifying excitement over the next entry into the fray.

Big long deer-leaps off the stage and into the next submission and the next project.

Come back out and take a bow and tell them to keep the damn roses, just throw money.

MA

p.s. Don’t forget that tomorrow is Actual Content Tuesday. My guest this week is K. J. Roberts, author of PIECES OF THE STAR.

writing prompt: How does your main character deal with rejection? How about your villain? Write a nice person who doesn’t handle rejection well and an unpleasant person who is gracious in defeat.