I received my first rejection letter yesterday. I’m not sad about it. Every writer in the history of time has been rejected by someone or some institution. It’s all part of the process, and I almost feel a sense of accomplishment at having gotten one. It’s a first step, another writer milestone to cross off the list.

I enjoy reading accounts of authors who save their rejection letters. I wanted to do the same, but was at a loss at how to do so. I liked Stephen King’s nail on the wall (which later became a spike to hold all the letters), but I didn’t want to copy that, if only because hanging them on my wall didn’t really feel like me. I thought of boxes, notebooks, photo albums (which is how I save postcards) – all good means, but means that didn’t feel right for these letters.

What finally felt right, though, was a means of presentation from one of my favorite Calvin and Hobbes strips:

The strip is part of a series where Calvin has to write a report on bats. He approaches the project with the same care he usually takes with schoolwork, meaning zero to none. The whole series (which starts here) is a scream, but what tickled me most was Calvin being convinced that the key to success was a Professional Clear Plastic Binder.

Naturally, that was not the key to Calvin’s success. He failed the report, but even in the end, he was still convinced the binder had power – it was just ignored:

I remembered this series as I thought of ways to collect my rejection letters, and after laughing at the memory of the whole series, I decided that I had to collect them in one of my favorite running jokes.

I had a lot of fun putting this together. In addition to Calvin and Hobbes, the title also pays tribute to Pearls Before Swine and the running gag of creating an Item o’ Something (such as the Box o’ Stupid People). I chuckled almost the whole time as I printed the cover and placed the clear plastic sleeves in their rings. I smiled as I christened it with my first rejection letter.

I could wax poetic about the deeper meaning of presentation versus substance that Calvin’s report signifies; as well as the fact that he buried the report and moved on (though I’d like to think I learn more from my shortcomings than Calvin usually does). Honestly, though? I chose this collection method because it made me laugh. I laughed all over again as I loaded the comic strips to the blog post and read them on Go Comics. I laughed and had fun in the face of rejection. Ultimately, that’s what the process needs to be – and collecting them in one of my favorite jokes, one that always makes me smile, will help me do that.

I truly look forward to filling my Professional Clear Plastic Binder o’ Rejection with more letters. I look even more forward to starting the Binder o’ Acceptance. But, one collection at a time.