Taking rejection like a ‘Boss’

I am the Rejection Queen! Watch me laugh in the face of defeat! Actually, I don't consider receiving a rejection letter to be a defeat. Not anymore. I don't love rejection emails, but they don't ruffle me like they used to. When I first started submitting stories to magazines, anthologies and competitions (four years ago, almost to the day), every 'it's not for us' email stung. I cried once or twice, wondering if I'd ever get anywhere with writing. Over the next year or two I had a couple of positive replies, the occasional writing 'win', but so few and far between! Still, as time went on, rejection emails affected me less and less. I grew a thicker skin and began to believe in myself, just a little. These days, I read the email and move on. Mostly I feel neutral, like I do when I'm cleaning my teeth. Sometimes I sigh, but that's about it. I've decided it's simply a numbers game. Write, re-write, polish, send out. Write, re-write, polish, send out. I don't wait for replies on anything - I just go on to the next project. (Or sometimes I bake. There are times when cake is needed first.) I figure spending time mourning a story not accepted just gets in the way of finding the next possible placement for that piece, or blocks the writing of a fresh, new story. I just counted them up, and since my very first submission, I have sent out 89 pieces (many of these are repeat submissions). I try to have at least ten stories out at any one time. Currently I have twelve pieces out there in the big, wide world, so I'm happy with that. I figure all I can do is write the best work I can and send it to well-suited homes. The rest is in the lap of the writing gods. I'm hoping for some good news soon. I'm ready for an acceptance email or a competition win. But if nothing happens, if the next writing mail is a rejection, I'll pull on my big girl panties, adjust my Rejection Queen tiara, (make a quick red velvet cake) and take it like a boss. *Feel free to leave a comment ... I wrote this in the hope that other writers might feel less alone, and I'd love to hear your thoughts.*