Are you a marathon writer?

GREAT blog post by Kristi Holl at Writer's First Aid (A Medicine Chest of Hope): Are You A Marathon Writer? Please go read!
     She talks about how it's often not talent that leads to a published author's success, but persistence and the "acceptance of rejection." There's so much of it in our seemingly sweet and innocent business of children's books. Although none of it is personal, it's hard to believe it when it's in your mailbox (or in-box). THAT is what makes children's books such a very tough business.
      As I commented on Kristi's post: I often tell people this is a tough business, but they don’t really get it. After all, there are few other businesses that have to deal with rejection like we do – sometimes on a daily basis. I’ve learned to live with it, but sometimes they get under your skin and can really get you down. Sometimes for a few minutes, sometimes for much longer.
     But I can’t give up. Not that I’d want to, but I truly don’t think I could. Once stories start pouring out of you, it’s nearly impossible to put a cork in to hold that flood. And some stories do make it through to being published – I have 15 published books. But for every ONE that’s been published, I have so many in the drawer that never made it.
     For those of you on the same journey, I wish you thick skin. Rejection is part of this business. But indeed, so is hope. Hope that the next one will be the one, hope that you will grow in your skills, hope that your manuscript will end up in just the right hands...
     For all that the rejection in this business can get you down, children's book creators are some of the most HOPEFUL people I know. It's what keeps us going.