The radio station I listen to most mornings has a feature every other Friday called The Painful Circle, where people can call in with their relationship problems for some unsentimental advice. Aside from the three DJs, there are two alternating special guests who help out with the Painful Circle, one of whom is a professional Tarot reader. She is constantly advising callers that they must become "happy, joyful, whole" people in order to have a happy, joyful whole relationship.
It's occurred to me that getting published is a lot like finding true love. While a lot of it is down to timing–maybe your theme is one already glutting the market, maybe the editor assigned to your MS just doesn't like your genre, maybe any number of other factors could play into your story being rejected–the rest of it has to do with you, the writer. Are you happy, joyful and whole? Or in writing terms, is your manuscript well-written, well-plotted and polished until it shines?
