The article reflects on the author's journey with rejection in the writing profession, illustrating how acceptance can feel elusive despite careful preparation. The author shares a formative experience of submitting political cartoons to George magazine at age 12, resulting in a memorable rejection that has influenced their perspective on editorial declines. Rather than feeling discouraged, the author embraces the inevitability of rejection, likening the experience to an athlete's losses, and recognizes that passion for writing must endure despite setbacks.
In the course of my writing career, I have become inured to rejection. No matter the care or eagerness with which I prepare the pitch for an article, I understand that its acceptance is far from assured.
Perhaps my studied nonchalance when it comes to editorial rejection can be traced back to one of my earliest submissions for publication. At the age of 12, I sent a batch of my political cartoons to the New York office of George magazine—and the rejection I received in the mail was so memorable that I asked my parents to frame it.
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