my first official rejection!

i'm excited to announce i received my first official rejection in the mail the other day! i can't explain it, but i'm actually happy about it. not resigned, or philosophical, but pleased. it's almost as if i'm an official writer now, if that makes any sense. i've been rejected by a major publication in my genre. they didn't laugh, or ignore me, but returned to me my story with a friendly form rejection requesting more submissions from me in the future.

one thing that made me chuckle: in the same envelope, they sent a note informing me they'd closed for submissions until 2010.

but it's official. i'm a professional writer. (we find our encouragement in odd places, us writers.)

here's a link to the story, if you'd like to read it.

Basement Jacks
http://www.writing.com/main/view_item/item_id/1473141

"They don’t always talk. Sometimes, if I come down with my Mom to help with laundry, they just watch. If I’m alone, though, they whisper a lot. Stories about people lying in the dirt under the floor boards. Those people used to live here, they say. One’s even a little girl, like me. She likes flowers, so I brought some down one afternoon and left them in a pretty plastic cup filled with water. I tied a red bow on it. The next day, they were gone. I hope she liked them. Her name’s Emily, the walls told me. I told them my name is Jacqueline, Jacks for short, and that now we could be friends. They whispered to me they would like that."