The Daily Rejection

Okay, so it probably comes as no surprise to people who've seen me on this board in the past month, but I'm very rules-oriented so...

That list of famous writer rejections Hamiltonburger posted comes from at least one online source (probably several, knowing how the internet proliferates)...and I can't help but emphasize the importance (in all writing) of noting sources:

http://www.writersrelief.com/blog/2011/07/famous-author-rejection-letters/

Plus, there's more helpful reflection on rejections on that link.

Started the interview with a wrong answer to the first question. Nice.
Then, because God hates me, I came home to a rejection on a full.
Pass the freaking wine.

Oh hon. that is completely balls. When will you hear about the job? One wrong answer doesn't mean you blew it.

XO

BIG BOTTLE OF WINE.

I wish I'd said, "That's a clown question, bro." But I didn't.

I won't hear for a week. If they call back at all.

well, write your thank you note, and send it today. You never know.

D: I'm so sorry, Carleree. White or red? (Wine, that is.)

Beckstah said:

D: I'm so sorry, Carleree. White or red? (Wine, that is.)

Click to expand...

White? Copious amounts?

I'm sending it with a bunch of men's water polo olympic dudes, who will also clean your house, and then tell you they need a team manager, will you please do it?

Now THAT'S what I need. Thanks, hon.

hang in carleree. (trying to parse what "manager" might mean in this context )

lorna_w said:

hang in carleree. (trying to parse what "manager" might mean in this context )

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Not to worry, I have it all figured out.

*pours Carleree a nice big glass of chardonnay while the Olympic athletes vacuum the floor*

Beckstah said:

*pours Carleree a nice big glass of chardonnay while the Olympic athletes vacuum the floor*

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Aw, thanks. You all are amazing. I feel better already.

Sorry, Carleree. I just came home from a ten-hour baseball extravaganza. Saw my first clown question, bro T-shirts being worn. We were good for one game, then sucked in the second. I carefully yelled what our manager was doing wrong but, once again, he ignored me.

Good news, I found they sell a grilled jalapeno and salty peanut dark chocolate bar at the park. (this one http://chocsihaveknown.blogspot.com/2010/06/blue-smoke-grilled-jalapeno-salty.html)
Bad news, they are discontinuing the best beer they serve "in order to serve customers better." The kiosk we always go to says it's their most popular beer. I have to figure out how to fight this, I think.

You've probably been given enough wine by now. How about I UNLEASH THE KRAKEN for you?

I don't know if I can do better than water polo dudes. How's about a personal gourmet-chocolatier/masseur (who looks like a water polo dude)?

I just read they're shutting down Weekly Reader. Makes me sad

Hugs, carleree! I hope you get some good news soon to balance all this out!

I'm indulging in some chocolate peanut butter gelato to brighten my day.

Silent inbox since Monday. Must beat the doldrums by sending out another query or two. Only have 2 q's out that haven't been answered, though it's been several weeks for both and I'm sensing NRMN for both.

Stupid questions I'm sure, but my brain is fried so please forgive me.

1) Are we supposed to double space a one page synopsis?

2) And if the agent asks for a query letter and a one page synopsis, do you use a shorter pitch in the query than you normally would so it's not repetitious?

Thanks,

c.e. (needs caffeine, or some of qdsb's gelato)

I've got enough gelato for all!

1) I don't know if spacing matters all that much in synopses. I started out with mine double-spaced but have recently sent them out single-spaced.

2) I don't change my query when a synopsis is also requested. I just made sure that my synopsis was worded differently from my query while still capturing the same points.

Just my $.02. Good luck! We may be due for some music links for luck! Hathor?

Thanks for the reply! Sounds reasonable.

Mmmm, chocolate-peanut butter.

And what is this music link stuff? Although I'm up for anything with luck involved.

What I've seen is that one-page synopses are single spaced. In fact, I've never seen one that is double spaced. The thought makes my brain hurt.

I have no plans to change my query letter because I sweated blood over it and it's so short now. I started out long and pared away, pared away, with the help of Polly, Carleree, and the folks over on the query letter site.

I wish agents would ask for a one and a half page, single spaced synopsis. That version of mine has some nice points that get lost in the shorter version.

The music links started when I mentioned my brain's proclivity to get songs stuck. Worse is when you don't like the song, but there it is, playing away. I don't know if luck is involved.

What's been going through my mind today has not been on the level of Muskrat Love, thank goodness. It's this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4HPdWYwgyw

I double space my one page, but it's Times NR and it runs over a line. So I guess that's not a "one page" is it? When asked for it, that's what I send. It was quite a challenge to decide what scenes needed to be given a sentence and which I'd not mention. Good exercise, imo--it made me revise my longer synopsis and my query letter, both.

Since my team is sucking again, I went in search of something better to invade my mind. How about this? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBTLhCFQfUo&feature=related

Perchance, this will help me avoid linearity. They just don't make songs (and videos) like this anymore.

For Carleree: they had a fans in the park thingie today. Apparently, lots of women took copies of Fifty Shades of Grey to the bullpen guys for autographs. It's so funny--my husband absolutely refuses to watch the video.

(For new folks [and we've all been new]: some of us have been hanging on this thread for a long time. Ergo, assorted references. If you don't understand, ask. The more, the...you know. We may be rejected, but we can have fun. Right?)

lorna_w said:

I double space my one page, but it's Times NR and it runs over a line. So I guess that's not a "one page" is it? When asked for it, that's what I send. It was quite a challenge to decide what scenes needed to be given a sentence and which I'd not mention. Good exercise, imo--it made me revise my longer synopsis and my query letter, both.

Click to expand...

Not quite sure what "runs over a line" means. My one pager is TNR, single spaced, and rather terse. I wonder if certain genres are harder than others to synopsize? My set up and conclusion are complex enough the sleuthing part is close to "she investigates and finds thus and so."

Oh wow...we just tied the game.

OK, I posted that, and one of my guys hit a three run homer. So we're ahead. Then again, his two errors earlier caused three runs for the other team. Maybe the universe sometimes balances out...

Oh, yeah, I should have explained the music thing a bit. Strangely, I really do think there were a string of positive coincidences the last time we posted earworms (songs that get stuck in your head, whether you like them or not).

So I'll see Hathor's Beatles and raise Monkees: http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=D1YRliQlQV0

I have a 1.5 pg single-spaced synopsis. Lorna--sounds like yours would be 2/3rds of a single-spaced page...sweet. I think all of the agents who've wanted synopses that I've queried have specified 1-2 pages.