by Paulette Jaxton

Last Friday I took a large step towards my goal of one day becoming a professional writer. I opened my mailbox and found a familiar envelope, one I’d addressed to myself several weeks ago. I took it well, after ripping the shirt from my breast and flagellating myself for several hours with an old typewriter ribbon I settled down into a nice quiet sulk. Actually I spent the next half hour printing out a new copy of Divine Fire, a new SASE and a mailing label with another editor’s address on it. I dropped it off at the post office on my way to the dollar store where I bought a cheap plastic frame. My form letter rejection from a major magazine now proudly adorns the wall of my office. I may not be a pro yet, but I now have something every pro in the business has: my first rejection letter.