How To Interpret Rejection

So, there are several ways to receive a rejection letter. Yes, I won't lie to you, it's hard..even for me. But at the same time...there are different ways to take it.

If you've received a form rejection--(For those of you who don't know, a form rejection is the pre-typed letter that essentially says, "Thanks, but no thanks" only nicer):

1) Remind yourself that you were brave enough to submit your work to someone. Congratulations. Take your fifteen minutes, get back up, re-work your query or your pages, or whatever may be lacking, and resubmit. Some agencies allow re-submissions. Some say wait 6 months. Do your research if you're submitting to the same agency. Otherwise, find new agents.
**Remember. Each time you get rejected it hardens your skin. Each time you get rejected you feel it a little less. Look forward to rejections. It means you submitted. Allow people to tell you Jordan got cut from his JV team, or research authors who collected a million rejection letters. When you get published, find something creative to do with them.

2) Are you offended (to any degree) by the rejection  you're holding/looking at? If yes, then that is AWESOME. Why? Because if they're hurting your feelings, it means you believe in your work, which is a thousand steps ahead of the average Joe. Congratulations.
**Remember. Even if you LOVE and ADORE your work it may still need editing. Don't be afraid to do it...AGAIN. You're only making your submissions stronger.

Alright, now, if you've been asked for a partial, or full, or....and still get another form rejection read the above passage and now this--

1) Once again, you're ahead of the game. At this point, I've received like 17? I think? rejections and have had one partial request. This tells me that my ideas are good enough but my pages need more work. For some reason, the readers are not connecting with my character. I (the author) need(s) to remedy this. Do I love my story? YES. But does it need work? (**Grits her teeth**) Obviously. Sadly. Here we go into the editing process again.
**Remember a partial request is AWESOME. Even though there's still a chance of being rejected, be excited for the request. It's huge! Congratulations, again.

2) If you managed to receive some feedback, feel BLESSED. Beyond blessed. I've read many agency blogs that say, "We're just too busy, I'm sorry." If an agent is willing to offer feedback, I'd suggest listening to it. I would suggest doing everything they say (unless it's something that you feel goes against your story).
**Remember, 99% of the writers who are submitting aren't getting any feedback. If you've gotten even a sentence, consider yourself lucky!

So...after these lengthy explanations, the moral of the blog is that REJECTIONS ARE YOUR FRIENDS. I feel like if we didn't get rejected a few times, we'd be the cockiest people...EVER. There is an agent out there for you. He or she wants your manuscript to have a happy home and a long shelf life. Don't give up hope. Edit, resubmit, hold your breath.

Good luck!