Stephen King in his book "A Memoir of the Craft" tells of taking each rejection notice and hanging it on a nail that protruded from the wall. When the nail became to small to hold the constant stream of rejection notices he replaced the nail with a bigger spike and kept right on writing. With more than 350 million of his novels sold world wide and an estimated net worth in excess of $400 million dollars his perseverance in the face of constant rejection should be a shining example to all budding writers to never give up and to "keep on writing".
Expect rejection but never feel rejected.
As with many things in life success is little more than a numbers game. Even the worst salesperson in the world can sell ice cubes to Eskimos if they just knock on enough igloos.
The secret, and it really is no secret is to place the odds in your favor as much as possible. Study the markets. Know who you are writing for. Sending a article on fantasy football no matter how well written to a magazine that is centered on the great outdoors is sure to get a well deserved rejection. Submitting a well researched and entertaining article on cowboy humor to American Cowboy might just get you published.
Dream big but think small. Develop a track record of being published in small markets. Local newspapers and regional magazines are a great way to develop a list of published articles and stories. This track record shows you are a serious committed author who deserves a second look. A track record of your published work up to that point not matter how small and insignificant it may seem to you will often get you a second look when you submit your work to a editor in a larger market.
In your writings you have created something new, something which deserves to be shared with the world. Believe in yourself and your written word. Your writing is an extension of you and deserves to be fought for as if you were fighting for you own life. In truth it is your life. Be proud of who you are. Be proud of your writing. Your writing has value to someone somewhere. Maybe many someone's.
And one last word of advice if I may. Plan for rejection. Have a list of sources ready to submit your material to. If your writing is rejected by one submit it to the next publication on your list immediately.
Enjoy the journey your writing gives you as you discover who you are and the enrichment you written word provides to others.
