Nothing's quite as exciting as sending out a brand new pitch, and nothing's quite as mind-numbing and disappointing as waiting to hear from a response. However, there's a little section in the new Merit Badge Handbook for Grown-Up Girls on how to keep your head during that tense time:

The Waiting Game: Tips for keeping cool

- Keep sending your writing out so that you always have an "iron in the fire."

- Know that rejection is just part of the publishing game. If you aren't getting rejections, you aren't sending stuff out--and if you aren't sending stuff out, you aren't going to get published.

- Don't linger on disappointments. "When I first started sending my writing out," says Laurie [Henry, author of The Novelist's Notebook], "I thought it would be a good idea to pin all my rejections on the wall above my desk. It turns out that was a bad idea--too depressing!"

-Don't get too fixated on any one publication. As Laurie says, "If you repeatedly get a form rejection letter, with no personal note from the editor or reader, you might be barking up the wrong tree."

- Learn to recognize success. If your recipient takes the time to add a personal note, suggesting revisions or inviting you to send in other material, rejoice! Editors are busy, so this is a good sign.