I found this letter among my grandmother's unpublished manuscripts. It's a rejection letter from her agent, Phyllis Westberg. My grandmother had written a short story, entitled, "Onions in the Hash," which was attached to the letter. Ms. Westberg sent the story to seven different magazines, hoping they might want to publish it. Each one, however, politely declined.
This is the road most writers walk. Typically, there are many rejections before publication. I imagine she had a conversation with her agent about revising the story, or possibly writing another one all together.
Stories are like that. Sometimes they sweep us off our feet with their honesty and utter perfection. Other times they sit in a drawer with a rejection letter attached to them, waiting for the writer to pull them out again.
