The other day I was researching famous American inventors and came across this quote about failure from Thomas Edison. It struck me as perfect for a writer. We often submit our work for publication only to be rejected again and again. In other words, we fail all of the time. If we’re experienced, we get better at not taking the sting of rejection so personally. In fact, we can use the failures to change and better our writing. We can submit different drafts, different pieces. Edison apparently had mastered this practice as he looked at his failures not as failures but as “10,000 ways that won’t work.” What a brilliant perspective. It instantly removes the personal and keeps the focus on the work. A lesson any creative person can use.

I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.

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