3 posts tagged “rejection letters”

This was from The Big One.  The best-known, widest-read, most exclusive genre pub out there.

Why I'm so happy:

Because it wasn't QUITE a form letter!!!

(Believe me, I know; I GOT a form rejection from them a year and a half ago, and this is NOT the same!)

This letter was actually signed by the actual assistant editor who read the piece; the form letter was "signed" by the main editor (who no doubt had never laid eyes on that first rejected piece a year and a half ago).

Although he decided to pass and said that, overall, the story did not succeed in holding his interest, he actually said, quote:  "There are some amusing moments in customer support opening section." 

Now.  That may seem like faint praise to you... but to get any editor at THIS mag to say ANYTHING even remotely positive about a story, using an actual example that showed he read it (at least part of it)...  is a Big Deal.

So. 

That same story?

-- I've already turned around and submitted it electronically to the next place on my list. 

Wish me luck!

Just got the results of the contest where I entered 2 stories.

The good news is, my two stories WERE among the 12 finalists.

The bad news is, they were NOT among the 3 winners.

But, I find this encouraging.

Given the total number of entrants, being among the top 12 is pretty darned good.  It helps me believe that my own recent self-assessment is not so far off the mark -- that my pieces are better than 90 - 95 % of what's out there, but still are not quite in the top 97th - 99th percentile.  And that's where they need to be in order to be published (or win, in the case of this contest). 

So, that's encouraging b/c it says that (a) I have an accurate view of my current skill level, (b) I'm not being totally unrealistic in my dream, and (c) that a breakthrough might be just around the corner.  (Well, it might.)

And I'll never know if I stop sending things out.

And also that I shouldn't stop improving them, either. 

B/c the totally unanticipated bonus of having entered this contest was, the ding-letter included a fairly detailed assessment from the judges of what they LIKED about each story...  and what could have been improved, or, why it didn't WIN.

And THAT will be VERY helpful indeed.  Moving forward.

The judges' assessments of what could be improved about each piece -- it was one of those things where you go, "D'Oh!  They're RIGHT!  Why didn't I think of that???" 

What they liked:  In the case of BOTH stories:  characterization and world-building.  In the case of one story, its compliments included "capable writing" and "very original idea"; the other one garnered the praise, "Great villain!"  In both cases, the beginnings needed to be tightened/shortened, and the endings seemed abrupt or didn't quite fit. 

Part of that was the short upper limit on word-count:  3500 words.  I think the abrupt endings came from getting to around, oh, 3200 words and going "Oh S***!" and wrapping everything up in 300 words or fewer.  But of course, if I had shortened up the beginnings, I'd have had a few more words to spare to feather in the endings a bit more satisfactorily.  

And the other part was that I stumbled across this contest not too far in advance of the deadline, so the stories didn't get as many rounds of crit as I might have liked.  Maybe another few drafts would have helped me gain the courage or hard-heartedness to hack away whole paragraphs or sentences from the beginnings.  So next year I'm going to keep my eye on that contest and get their "theme" as soon as they release it, and give myself more time. 

(Oh, I should mention, this annual contest requires you to submit a story based on a "theme" they set.  The themes are pretty whacked -- this year's theme was "metallic feathers" and last year's was "fewmets at the end of time."  Since no one could possibly have predicted such a theme and written a story about that beforehand, this pretty much ensures that all entries are written expressly for their contest; can't dust off your old stuff and send it in.) 

Anyway. 

So. 

Onward!

I got a great rejection letter today!!

Well, actually it came a couple weeks ago, but I was out of town.  I just read it today.

Here's what's so great about this rejection letter:

They actually read the story!  All the way through!! 

They said, this particular story wasn't a good fit for us, but...

They actually said they thought it would sell to the right publication, just not to them!!!

 

Woo-hoo!!!  Break out the bubbly.

If you have ever attempted to write fiction, and sell same, you will know that that these are all really, really encouraging signs!!!

About the only thing better would be actual money.  Actual money for the products of my febrile imagination!!  Well, keep the dream alive.

Since I started mailing out pieces last January, I've gotten, oh, close to ten rejection letters.  And one invitation to rewrite, not QUITE a rejection (but not an acceptance yet, either, though I have done the requested rewrite.  Still needs work).

But this is the first real non-form rejection letter.  I mean, where an editor (assistant editor, but let's be realistic.  I don't take offense at that) has actually inserted a few sentences beyond the canned rejection. 

SHE READ IT.  SHE TOOK THE TIME TO TELL ME WHAT NEEDED TO BE IMPROVED.  SHE SUGGESTED A TARGET MARKET THAT WOULD BE A BETTER FIT.

That's.  HUGE.

That's a huge step forward, from what I started getting in January.

When you consider the amount of slush these people have to wade through, that's huge.