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I remember when Sword was first rejected. Six times in a row from the first six sendings-off to agents. I got some great replies, with compliments on my writing and bits of advice. But ultimately all said 'no'. Boy did it hurt.
'Never mind,' I told myself. 'Keep trying. Someone will want it.'
No they didn't. I got a barrowload of rejections. The most-used reason was 'I can't find a market for it.' The hurt never lessened. Sword now lies in a drawer.
I've since written other things - short stories, the beginning of a short story series, and I've plans for a children's story, although nothing written on that front yet.
Everything has been set aside, though, while I write my latest work.
Once again, I will not entertain rejection. The most important lesson I learned was that without the market, you will be lost. You must have some kind of unique selling point, and you must have market appeal. I'm not writing it from a marketing angle - for me, that would be literary suicide, and a soulless venture - but I do have an eye on the market. Hopefully, I will be proved right. At this point, I don't believe that I'm wrong. And I believe in what I'm doing, and really enjoy the feeling of it all unfolding before me. The more modern style allows me to write quicker, and the chapters (so far) are smaller than Sword. Is that significant? Possibly another confirmation of my new style. Getting there...