I am a writer for Odyssey, and I enjoy it. However, I am a creative writer first and foremost. Whenever I have a minute free I am writing fiction short stories or sometimes poetry. Sometimes if I feel up to the challenge I try my hand at creative non-fiction. Why am I telling you this? Well, I wanted to talk about rejections and how to deal with them.

I submit my creative works to any opportunity I can find. Contests and open submissions. I submit writings to them all. Here's the thing. Recently I was rejected by about six different places to which I submitted my stories. Having received these rejections seemingly in a row I was feeling pretty discouraged. Then I remembered.

Famous authors have been rejected for many years. The most notable one that has come to mind for me is J.K. Rowling. There were so many publishers who rejected Harry Potter and now they're kicking themselves. Harry Potter is a cultural phenomenon. The same thing with the Hunger Games and Twilight and Divergent. Other who were first rejected include Stephen King, Wizard of Oz, and The Tale of Peter Rabbit. All of which are now cultural icons. Everyone knows who these people are or what these stories are. They know the characters and themes of the stories.

So I guess what I am trying to say is you don't have to be discouraged by rejection letters. This goes for any artistic profession. If you keep trying you could be the next new Stephen King or van Gogh. I have a few tips for you if you have a rejection and are feeling discouraged.

1. Take a Break. Take a walk. Listen to music. Read a book. Write a story. Forget about the rejection for a little while. Think happier, more positive thoughts.
2. Trash the Rejection. If it came in letter-form, burn that sucker. Or you could pull a J.K. Rowling and keep them in your attic. Later, you can show those jokers what they missed.
3. Just Do You. Just keep doing what you love. Keep your passion bright. Don't give up because someone said no. Someone is going to say yes.

Basically, don't let rejections bring you down. One day you will be shown to the world as an author or an artist or whatever you are passionate about. Don't give up on your passions!