The Daily Rejection

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redneckballerina

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"Thanks so much for sending your sample chapters, and for your patience in waiting for my feedback. Unfortunately, this isn't quite right for my list so I'm going to step aside, but I appreciate this opportunity to acquaint myself with your work and will be rooting for you from the sidelines!"

This....is not very helpful. From a partial sent a month ago.

I'm sorry.
 

redneckballerina

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My bite is finally healing ~ and I have to say, my house is cleaner than it's ever been. I've had to empty every closet, cabinet, and drawer and move all the furniture, but the exterminator is confident we've handled the problem. Looks like it was just one rogue spider, but I wanted to be sure!

Okay - I promise I'll never bring it up again.

And... I got another R for a short story. "Your prose had an effortless lyricism that made reading this story pure pleasure and we enjoyed the premise very much. Unfortunately, after much consideration, we've decided to pass. It just isn't quite what we were looking for, but we wish you luck placing it elsewhere."

I don't understand. This story has gone to the editorial/sales board several times, and yet it's collected a handful of rejections. If everyone likes reading it so much, why won't they buy it? Oh, well. I'll keep trying, I guess.
 

Hathor

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They don't want their readers to experience pure pleasure from an enjoyable premise and effortless lyricism? Maybe they don't think much of the tastes of their readers.

I'm glad your house is now free of that sort of creepy-crawly we can't mention because of Carleree...
 

Carleree

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Red wine is good for your heart, you know.
It's not even noon yet. I have to wait for the game to start drinking...
icon12.gif
 

Carleree

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Wow, Carleree. Talk about an emotional yo-yo. Sorry about the full reject, but it sounds like you didn't need to resort to chocolate. A full request off a partial? That sounds very promising.
It's been a weird day, that's for sure. Agent used to work at Writer's House, but started her own agency in '06. She has a ton of sales. And she responds to fulls in a few days.

Fingers crossed. It will either be a very good weekend, or a terrible one. Plus the Canucks are playing. I might have to start drinking early.
 

Hathor

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Didn't need to resort to chocolate? I can't imagine a circumstance where that would be true. Good news, bad news, no news...all better with chocolate.
 

redneckballerina

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It's been a weird day, that's for sure. Agent used to work at Writer's House, but started her own agency in '06. She has a ton of sales. And she responds to fulls in a few days.

Fingers crossed. It will either be a very good weekend, or a terrible one. Plus the Canucks are playing. I might have to start drinking early.

Oh, that's fantastic! Good luck ~ I am crossing my fingers for you!!
 

pollymilton

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just received kind of odd request for partial - seattle agency, well established - reps nonfic writer from my kids school:

"Thanks for getting in touch. We're glad Maria directed you our way.
We're looking at very few new projects right now but we can take a quick
peek at THE REMEDY. "

also, they want PAPER. huh.
 

Carleree

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just received kind of odd request for partial - seattle agency, well established - reps nonfic writer from my kids school:

"Thanks for getting in touch. We're glad Maria directed you our way.
We're looking at very few new projects right now but we can take a quick
peek at THE REMEDY. "

also, they want PAPER. huh.
Yay for making the cut!!! Woohoo! Look at us go! And on an even-numbered day, too!:snoopy:
 

Hathor

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A request is a request, polly. Congrats.

And to you too, Carleree. I got distracted there thinking of chocolate...hmmm.

It's a rainy, even-numbered day and I'm spending my time searching for overuse of the word "I" in my memoir-plus, I guess you'd call it. No reason to say "I think" something, for instance. It's in my book. Of course, I think it.

I need caffeine, chocolate, wine, something. I'm so bored I'm talking back to my manuscript.
 

LadyA

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Another form rejection :(

I know my first ten pages aren't OMG OMG I HAVE TO READ ON but the story needs them for character development. The missing boy (and MMC) is found on page 22, but his best friend's body is found on page 1 - I wanted the whole 'is he dead?' thing for MMC, but US agents only ask for first 5/10 pages. Without those first 21 pages, my MMC seems misunderstood rather than bad, and I don't want that...Any suggestions?

Luckily I've got an Easter egg left over *breaks it up and passes it round the rejectionistas*
 

Hathor

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Sorry for the Rs, tri and LadyA.

And thanks for the chocolate, LadyA. Have you tried posting your first few pages over on Share Your Work? Perhaps folks can figure out what tweaks to try. Of course, opinions vary, which is why you can't tell much from R, particularly a form one.

I have the same situation with my fiction, although I've yet to query the sucker (a wonderful beta got halfway through and her computer got sick, so I'm waiting). I don't even have a dead body on page one. The tension is supposed to build throughout the book.

Do you really need all the character development in the beginning, rather than dribs and drabs through your book? Perhaps you can find the most telling or interesting action or conversation and include that. Readers can be proven wrong as they read further, but a character has to seem interesting so they'll do so.

My first draft had all sorts of background information and psychological insight about my narrator in the first pages. I managed to weed much of it from there without losing anything.

Since you raise the question yourself, perhaps you know the answer already: you have to tighten up your beginning. Only put in what absolutely has to be there to make it seem an intriguing story with intriguing characters. Once you get an agent and are doing rewrites, you can always redevelop the MMC, if need be.

So consider this the kick in the arse you know you need. You can take it. You have chocolate.
 

pollymilton

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lady, start a new draft and rewrite it anyway you want - try something nutty and start where your gut tells you. The old version will still be sitting there safely.

Explore.

We'll be here with chocolate. Or booze, or whatever.
P.
 

Hathor

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lady, start a new draft and rewrite it anyway you want - try something nutty and start where your gut tells you. The old version will still be sitting there safely.

Explore.

We'll be here with chocolate. Or booze, or whatever.
P.

Looks like booze for me. My husband left for his Wednesday night chess club. I looked for the gourmet chocolate bar purchased yesterday. He either hid it or ate the whole thing himself. I will offer some pithy observations to him on this subject upon his return.
 
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