ne of the most discouraging failures that I ever had. I had been asked to write a series of dance articles and I wrote my first one (which you can read if you ask me) and turned it in to the person I was writing for. The article had become part of me and it was filled with passion and opinion, and the next day I received it back in my email with a note that it was too opinionated and that they were going to get someone else to do the job. It was so frustrating because I had spent hoursSuccess is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm. - Sir Winston Churchill

If you are in the freelance writing business, one sure thing that you will face is rejection, which might feel like failure. If you have been in the business very long you have probably sent out numerous inquiries only to be met with silence, or even worse, those candy sweet letters of rejection. Many writers find that in their early days as a writer that 9 out of 10 inquiries will never bring about anything, and for some, this can be disheartening.

The key to becoming a great freelance writer as opposed to only a decent one, is your ability to take rejection and make it work for you. What Winston Churchill said is true - it truly is how you take failure that leads to your success. As a writer you need to be able to keep the passion for writing, even in the face of a rejection or a piece of writing that just fell flat. When you are rejected and when you fail - try harder.

One example of this comes from when I first started out on my own as a freelance writer. I had enjoyed writing all my life and had been published from time to time, but I never took up writing as a career. I dabbled in a few careers such as the medical field (working in the ER, a nursing home, and home health care), the music field (traveling with a music group for 3 years playing the piano and singing), and also as a teacher (teaching writing, music, and public speaking). Finally some health issues became a part of my life and I had to leave the formal workplace and I was looking for something to do to earn an income. I could not stand just sitting around feeling sorry for myself, so I took something I enjoyed doing and started to look for ways that I could use it to make a living.

When I first started out pursuing a career in freelance writing I wrote for pennies and sometimes nothing at all. My big break actually came after one of the most discouraging failures that I ever had. I had been asked to write a series of dance articles and I wrote my first one (which you can read if you ask me) and turned it in to the person I was writing for. The article had become part of me and it was filled with passion and opinion, and the next day I received it back in my email with a note that it was too opinionated and that they were going to get someone else to do the job. It was so frustrating because I had spent hours

ries will never bring about anything, and for some, this can be disheartening.

The key to becoming a great freelance writer as opposed to only a decent one, is your ability to take rejection and make it work for you. What Winston Churchill said is true - it truly is how you take failure that leads to your success. As a writer you need to be able to keep the passion for writing, even in the face of a rejection or a piece of writing that just fell flat. When you are rejected and when you fail - try harder.

One example of this comes from when I first started out on my own as a freelance writer. I had enjoyed writing all my life and had been published from time to time, but I never took up writing as a career. I dabbled in a few careers such as the medical field (working in the ER, a nursing home, and home health care), the music field (traveling with a music group for 3 years playing the piano and singing), and also as a teacher (teaching writing, music, and public speaking). Finally some health issues became a part of my life and I had to leave the formal workplace and I was looking for something to do to earn an income. I could not stand just sitting around feeling sorry for myself, so I took something I enjoyed doing and started to look for ways that I could use it to make a living.

When I first started out pursuing a career in freelance writing I wrote for pennies and sometimes nothing at all. My big break actually came after one of the most discouraging failures that I ever had. I had been asked to write a series of dance articles and I wrote my first one (which you can read if you ask me) and turned it in to the person I was writing for. The article had become part of me and it was filled with passion and opinion, and the next day I received it back in my email with a note that it was too opinionated and that they were going to get someone else to do the job. It was so frustrating because I had spent hours

en you fail - try harder.

One example of this comes from when I first started out on my own as a freelance writer. I had enjoyed writing all my life and had been published from time to time, but I never took up writing as a career. I dabbled in a few careers such as the medical field (working in the ER, a nursing home, and home health care), the music field (traveling with a music group for 3 years playing the piano and singing), and also as a teacher (teaching writing, music, and public speaking). Finally some health issues became a part of my life and I had to leave the formal workplace and I was looking for something to do to earn an income. I could not stand just sitting around feeling sorry for myself, so I took something I enjoyed doing and started to look for ways that I could use it to make a living.

When I first started out pursuing a career in freelance writing I wrote for pennies and sometimes nothing at all. My big break actually came after one of the most discouraging failures that I ever had. I had been asked to write a series of dance articles and I wrote my first one (which you can read if you ask me) and turned it in to the person I was writing for. The article had become part of me and it was filled with passion and opinion, and the next day I received it back in my email with a note that it was too opinionated and that they were going to get someone else to do the job. It was so frustrating because I had spent hours

d public speaking). Finally some health issues became a part of my life and I had to leave the formal workplace and I was looking for something to do to earn an income. I could not stand just sitting around feeling sorry for myself, so I took something I enjoyed doing and started to look for ways that I could use it to make a living.

When I first started out pursuing a career in freelance writing I wrote for pennies and sometimes nothing at all. My big break actually came after one of the most discouraging failures that I ever had. I had been asked to write a series of dance articles and I wrote my first one (which you can read if you ask me) and turned it in to the person I was writing for. The article had become part of me and it was filled with passion and opinion, and the next day I received it back in my email with a note that it was too opinionated and that they were going to get someone else to do the job. It was so frustrating because I had spent hours

ne of the most discouraging failures that I ever had. I had been asked to write a series of dance articles and I wrote my first one (which you can read if you ask me) and turned it in to the person I was writing for. The article had become part of me and it was filled with passion and opinion, and the next day I received it back in my email with a note that it was too opinionated and that they were going to get someone else to do the job. It was so frustrating because I had spent hours on that article, and in essence it had become a part of me, but I decided that no matter what they said I was going to get that article published. I sent the article to a dance magazine and they loved it and published it, and that is when my freelance writing career really took off.

That rejection, and what felt like failure, was the point where I decided that I was going to make it as a freelance writer. I brushed myself off and got up and kept going and that one article opened up a variety of doors for me in the freelance market. You see, freelance writing is about more than just writing about certain topics, and it is more than just a way to earn some money, but it is a passion that you need to have in your soul. When it seems like everything you are trying to do might fail, you need that passion to back you up - to keep you from throwing up your hands and quitting. When you get that next rejection letter and you feel like quitting, remember that it could be the very key to your success. Your failures are what will bring you success in life if you can handle them with enthusiasm and with a steadfast determination that you will not give up!