Greetings NTAGers! Well, I think maybe I�m beginning to sound like a broken record, because every time I sit down to write one of these things, I always say the same stuff: NTAG is growing and improving every day, we�re getting tons of great new members and still have lots of wonderful older ones, and more and more of our members seem to get into the Neopian Times with each new issue. Yep, it�s all the same, but it�s all true! We just amazingly surpassed 300 members, something that I never dreamed could happen back when I decided that if I wanted the guild I wanted to be in, I�d have to start it myself. Now we�ve got a terrific and helpful FAQ, a New World competition should be beginning soon, and we�ll also hopefully be beginning an ambitious new project! So, congratulations to all of our older members for forming the foundation of a guild I truly love, and welcome all new members to a guild that I hope you will love just as much!

Now, I�m going to try to get back into the habit of offering a new tip with every �From the Guild Leader� in each issue of the Neopian Extra. So, the tip for this month is on dealing with failure. With each new issue of the Neopian Times, we see a few familiar names pop up. We also almost always see a few names missing, and we often hear about the disappointments of fellow guild members who sent something in but didn�t get it published. We�ve all been there-- yes, all of us. But what separates the successful authors from the rest of the herd?-- perseverance, plain and simple. Rejection is always hard to deal with, but why think of it as rejection? There are lots of entries sent into the NT each week, so if yours doesn�t make it, that doesn�t mean that it didn�t deserve to. Look at the fact that you weren�t accepted this time around as an opportunity rather than a setback. Rather than just giving up on your story/article and on yourself, take this chance to work on revising it and making it even better. Feel free to share your disappointment with the guild, without whining-- other members will sympathize with your feelings and also help boost your confidence that you can still make it if you just keep trying. And, the guild is always there to help you with advice and editing to improve your story. Finally, when you�re ready and proud of the changes that you�ve made, try sending your work in again. It may impress the NT staff that you�ve made so much improvement, and hopefully you�ll make it this time around. Trust me, I and quite a few other guild members can tell you-- it feels even better to see a story in print that didn�t make it the first time around but that you refused to give up on. So, if you face failure, it�s okay to feel down. But don�t *just* feel down-- do something about it!