Okay, so in the last week I've received nine rejections. Nine. Not a record, alas (I think my record is ten), but enough that I'm feeling very grouchy and woe-is-me this morning. I mean, even Thaumatrope rejected a twitter story. It wasn't SF/F enough for them--which had me sputtering incoherently, since what's not SF/F enough about Sleeping Beauty getting wrapped up in vines that love her? I guess I didn't get the concept across well enough. The Price of Justice got rejected with a very good but very painful critique, and an invitation to revise and resub. I'm not sure if I want to keep going with that project; it sort of bores me now, and if I address all of the critique's issues and suggestions, it'll turn into a novel.
Thank gawd for Every Day Fiction, which actually sent an acceptance among all the sharp-and-pointy rejects. At least I know I do not suck 100%. Just 99%, or at least it seems that way this week.
Suck it up, me. At least you're getting responses.
10 comments:
I feel you on the rejects front. This has been a brutal month, leading me to question (again) whether or not I want to keep at it.
(By the way, the Sleeping Beauty/vines trist sounds great)
That Sleeping Beauty story is crying out for a longer treatment - get to it.
Oh, and I hear you on the rejects. It doesn't help when I keep sending to markets that reply within a couple of days.
I am stuck at 2 rejections for the entire month. I am beginning to wonder if everything I have sent out has gotten lost.
I am with everyone else here, the sleeping beauty/ vines thing sounds wonderful.
Aaron--I think editors must be using May as a catch-up month or something.
Cate--Yeah, half my rejections are from places that respond in a day or two. No waiting, but boy do the quick rejects sting.
Jamie--Maybe all yours are sitting in the "email an acceptance" pile. :)
Okay, y'all, maybe I will work that Sleeping Beauty thing into a flash story. I did send the twitter story out to some other twitter market, but I don't think there's a problem getting two stories from the same idea.
There's no maybe about it! Write that story!
And I hear you on the rejects too.
I wrote it last night--335 words of pure amazing. Or maybe pure adequate.
I think you should write it. Commiserations about the rejections and here's hoping they find a home in June.
Thanks! I hope so too.
I guess that's the problem with having a huge amount of stories out there, occasionally they will all return home together and not always because they want to.
But it has been a strange month. I've had two rejections. I have a dozen pieces out there, but only two rejections. I've even queried a few of them only to be told they are still considering. Just make a choice already!
I'm sure you will now send them out to new homes and receive multiple acceptances.
I wish you only the best of luck.
And, categorically, for the record - your writing does not suck at all!
BT--Thanks, and I hope all your pending stories get accepted. It sounds promising, at least!
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