Heinlein’s Fifth Rule

No, you don’t!

If the story’s not sold yet, you cannot stop submitting it. And like I said: rejection is like falling off a camel horse. The only way to get over it is to climb back up and try again. You may mope as much as you like, but after you’ve resubmitted your story.

(Robert A. Heinlein proposed five rules of writing:

  1. You must write.
  2. You must finish what you start.
  3. You must refrain from rewriting, except to editorial order.
  4. You must put your story on the market.
  5. You must keep your story on the market until it has sold.

Canadian author Robert J. Sawyer added one more rule:

6. Start working on something else.)