R-E-B... R-E-B... R-E-B-O-U-N-D... Rebound!

The chant from the school bleachers echoes throughout my mind from time to time. 

R-E-B... R-E-B... R-E-B-O-U-N-D, Rebound! 

Back then, the chant meant only one thing: a hope that the other team would miss a free throw; then, our team would grab the basketball, take it down the court, and swish it through the net. Even though I still watch basketball and hear “rebound” at every game, the word has a whole other meaning to me. It’s something I’ve needed to do literally hundreds of times.

Take a look at the expanse of rejections I amassed, from agents and editors alike, before I got my first YES.* These represent the time when my learning curve was steep, when I was just starting to acquire the skills and appreciate the work it takes to micro-move a book from pretty great to publish-worthy. 

I’d like to tell you that rebound is again limited to my basketball vocabulary, but the truth is, I’ve been slapped many times since. Sure, it stings. Sure, no balm will heals some of the wounds. But there’s this. Each time I need to brush off the hurt, take a deep breath, and start over again, I learn something new. And that works to limit most of the rebounds in my life to the basketball courts.

*Yes, that's an 18-inch ruler. But wait! I’ve amassed so many more since correspondence by USPS has morphed into email rejections and, most frustrating, when months of hearing crickets eventually mean no. 

Jody Feldman, the award-winning author of The Seventh Level and The Gollywhopper Games series , is currently rebounding after having licked her wounds from feedback on a story that will, undoubtedly, be stronger because of the process.