that sting on your skin

I have had a number of story rejections over the past month or so which I suppose was to be expected after enjoying a brief rain of approval and publication earlier in the year. I used to take it very personally -the No. I don't anymore. Of course there is still that sting on your skin when you read the word 'I'm afraid your story doesn't match  our blah blah blah' but it doesn't hurt so much anymore. Other things hurt a lot more than this.

And to be honest if I read over stories that have been rejected I can often see areas where they could be tightened up, edited better and heaven forbid the very occasional typo or punctuation disaster. I abhor typos but sometimes they sneak in (when you're distracted by you tube I suspect.)

I won't give up on these stories though. You should never give up on the things you believe in - no matter the darkness.

Here's a little solemn reminder of the dangers of bad punctuation.