And here’s what happened:

No, I didn’t get into Glamour or O magazines. A prayer wasn’t answered. A miracle was yet to be seen.

Instead, last year’s queries were answered by this year’s, “I’m sorry your idea doesn’t fit with the current needs of the magazine.”

After listening to my heart shatter for a few minutes, I put myself back together like Humpty Dumpty. I realized that one rejecting letter, did not a failure make.

So this is what I did:

I contacted the publication again. I shared my gratitude for the reply. After all, most times I never hear from a company again. At least I knew one way or another that they were not interested. Then, I took action.

For the magazine that I submitted a completed manuscript, I tried again. Three times total in fact. And by the third submission, I instead of striking out, I made a home run. The result was an article published in the February issue of Animal Wellness magazine.

For the company that emailed me to let me know that I didn’t have the “right” qualifications for their freelance writing position, I asked them if they could let me know exactly what these qualifications were so I could try again in the future. The CEO not only wrote back a nice email but gave me the name of the managing editor who could help me.

For the publication who sent me a rejection letter for an idea I had, I emailed them saying that I would still love to one day be in their magazine and would work hard to get there. The editor sent me an immediate email saying that she would love to get more ideas from me and let me know what section of the magazine she needed to fill.

Here’s what I learned:

A rejection letter is not necessarily a closed door. Sometimes it is a gateway to other opportunities. If you are courteous, passionate, courageous and determined, it could be your opening to publish your best writing yet.