Rejectomancy

Lillie

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OMG!!!!!!!!

That's hilarious.
So long as it's not in my inbox.
 

Izz

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"P.S. Keep up the good work. Have a nice day!"????

I think i can guess who was actually on acid at the time of letter composition...
 

Marzioli

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Beneath Ceaseless Skies rejection. Very short personal message said it appeared the story was set in modern times with modern tech, despite the only tech mentioned being an allusion to a neon sign. Oh well. It was an experimental piece.
 

mhaynes

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Beneath Ceaseless Skies rejection. Very short personal message said it appeared the story was set in modern times with modern tech, despite the only tech mentioned being an allusion to a neon sign. Oh well. It was an experimental piece.

I received a similar message in an R from them last year where the story was about a world where magic was being supplanted by technology. Since the focus was on an elderly magician, I thought it might fly. But it didn't.
 

defcon6000

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Beneath Ceaseless Skies rejection. Very short personal message said it appeared the story was set in modern times with modern tech, despite the only tech mentioned being an allusion to a neon sign. Oh well. It was an experimental piece.
If you were writing in a tight PoV, and this was set in ye olde days, the character couldn't have possibly made an allusion to neon sign -- how can you allude to something that doesn't exist? That probably gave the editor the wrong impression.
 

Marzioli

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If you were writing in a tight PoV, and this was set in ye olde days, the character couldn't have possibly made an allusion to neon sign -- how can you allude to something that doesn't exist? That probably gave the editor the wrong impression.
It certainly wasn't the old days, but it wasn't necessarily modern either. Technology wasn't the focal point of the story. And, for that matter, the description I gave about the sign was ambiguous enough where it could have been some steam-punky / magical device. :D I'm not complaining about the R, I'm just surprised that was the reason they specified.
 

mhaynes

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My most-often-rejected story (not coincidentally, also my earliest still circulating) just racked up another R -- this one from Shadows and Tall Trees. (paraphrasing -- "well written but didn't grab" the editor.)

Ah, well. Will give this one another go tonight.
 

defcon6000

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Funny how rejections always come in two's. Received an R from Apex and from Mortis Operandi antho (they've been open for over a year now and still haven't filled their antho, so I'm thinking they're extremely picky).
 

alexshvartsman

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A very flattering-sounding but, I suspect, form rejection from the West Pigeon Press anthology after 11 days. Anyone else submit there, so we can compare R's?
 

O'Dandelo

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I'm on day 9 with my West Pigeon submission. So my R is due in a couple of days, I suppose. It's one of those subs where I fully expect an R.
 

goldmund

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Alex - "Thank you for your submission. Unfortunately, this piece doesn't work for us. Best of luck elsewhere, WPP."
So, ah, I gather you got a better one.
Hope the comparison gave you some inner trust and Jedi.
 

alexshvartsman

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Thanks, goldmund. I got either a higher-tier reject or it was an actual personalized comment, in which case, *blush*

<quote>
Thank you for your submission. It is obvious that you are a talented writer, but this story doesn't really work for us. It just didn't captivate us.
</quote>
 

crunchyblanket

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My most-often-rejected story (not coincidentally, also my earliest still circulating) just racked up another R -- this one from Shadows and Tall Trees. (paraphrasing -- "well written but didn't grab" the editor.)

Ah, well. Will give this one another go tonight.

I just got the loveliest rejection from that magazine. They liked the story, and gave me some tips and pointers towards a rewrite. They said they'd be happy to consider it again if I gave it a little work, and after such lovely comments, I'm more than willing to try.
 

Pemako

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Form R from FFO. It's been crickets for weeks; I think I like the crickets better than form Rs.