As euphoric as I was over the sale of a short story to an anthology at the end of 2008, that sense of success was crumpled like an old newspaper when another story was rejected yesterday.  I know not every submission is going to result in a sale. Seriously, I've been sending out my writing for enough years to know how it works. But an actual sale seemed like a turning point.

The rejection feels like back-sliding

I think what bothers me most is that the rejected story is one of my favorites. I just can't seem to find a home for it. Each time it's been returned to me the publisher's comment isn't about poor writing, poorly crafted narrative or lackluster characters, it just doesn't fit their publication.

I guess that means I need to improve my research techniques.