Whether it was a rejection submission, a story no one liked, or a competition you did not win, the only failure in writing is giving up.
Just finishing a story makes you amazing. You have done what few others have done. You had an idea and you wrote it.
It was not you that was rejected, it was just that version of your story. You can edit it some more and try again or you can open a blank page and write the next one. So long as you don’t give up, you cannot fail as a writer.
Keep going. Each story you tell equips you with the experience needed to tell the next story.
You’ve got this.
I see appeals like this from time to time. Most of the time they hide behind a paywall or don’t allow comments at all. I’ve been published many times as a writer. I’ve written books and magazine articles. I’ve been published online on many sites. But I came to the realization that it was better to stop writing… at least in the arenas commonly presented for writers.
Every writer’s group I’ve encountered has demanded that I write fiction. I never liked writing what was basically a lie, even if to surreptitiously present a deeper truth. Reviews of non-fiction aren’t tolerated in these groups. Worse yet, they all want some dumbed-down trash that does nothing but titillate and provide an avenue for escapism. Group leaders throw their arrogant noses in the air if my writing doesn’t follow some preconceived formula of theirs. This is a toxic and destructive environment to which I will not submit.
When a book of mine would come off the press, what did I find on social media from my own demographic? People blocked me right and left. My audience evaporated with narry a book sale. What was the worth of writing for such people? It was a bad investment of time and effort that I won’t offer a second time.
Where did I end up? Now i just do some local journalistic writing and if I don’t find something newsworthy, I won’t bother to fudge it in order to satisfy an editor. If I get booted off a writing staff for it, I simply won’t care anymore and won’t fall for the “Don’t ever quit” hypocrisy. Yes. There is indeed time to quit. If there’s no reason for me to write, I won’t sacrifice my health for someone else’s nonsense.