You realize that rejection is just part of the process, and you know what? It just makes you stronger. For example, last year I didn’t do as well as I wanted to in the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards, and yeah, that was upsetting. But I told myself, You are going to work so much harder next year and you are going to push yourself so hard, harder and further than you thought you could go, and I ended up winning two national medals this year for my writing.
I say that not to brag, but to show you that rejection can make the next step that much sweeter, because it gives you motivation.
You should also remember that so many famous authors and writers have been rejected countless times. For example, an editor once wrote about Sylvia Plath’s TheBell Jar, “This is an ill-conceived, poorly written novel, and we would be doing neither ourselves nor the late Miss Play any good service by offering it to the American public,” and he even misspelled her name. The Knopf publishing company, whom this editor was a part of, rejected The Bell Jar entirely.
But then look how famous The Bell Jar became, and how well-known Sylvia Plath was then, and is today.
I think that rejection ultimately makes you stronger as a writer. I’ve been rejected several times from a few small magazines, and that just makes me want to work even harder and write even better.
Use rejection as fuel for the fire, not as a lump of charred ash that is ultimately tossed away.
Good luck on all your future writing endeavors! :)
P.S. These famous rejection letters, written to incredible authors and writers, might help make the sting of rejection a bit less harsh: http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2011/11/famous-authors-harshest-rejection-letters/248705/#slide1)