2 day personal R from F&SF and a 27 day personal R from Cast of Wonders so feeling pretty discouraged myself this morning.
Rejectomancy
- Thread starter Aggy B.
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Hey! Don't feel too bad. When Philip K Dick was an unknown writer, he had so many rejections that his first wife tacked them to the walls of his writing room for "inspiration." The rejection wallpaper was two layers thick, by the way. Once, the mailman dropped a tied bundle of fourteen rejection letters on PKD's porch!
A lot of those rejected stories (some of which were rejected with a simple "no"), such as The Minority Report and We Can Remember It For You Wholesale, went on to become classics.
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Haha, no! It's spread out over nine different stories in the past 10 months. I'm running low on markets for some of them, so I'm thinking it's best to trunk those and revise them after my skills have grown. I'd rather have some options left down the line, as most markets won't consider a previously rejected story, even if it's been heavily revised. I've only started seriously work-shopping with the current short story I'm writing, and it's pointed out some flaws that I wasn't seeing on my own. I'm sure they're present in my earlier stories, as well, and I might have had a better success rate if I work-shopped those stories first.
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Thanks Michael! I really needed to hear that. Sometimes it's so easy to forget that the greats have been where we are today going through the same stuff.
Update: I got two more rejections. A 13 day from DSF and a 3 day from T. Gene Davis. Really hasn't been the best of days. I sent both stories back out to other magazines.
Update: I got two more rejections. A 13 day from DSF and a 3 day from T. Gene Davis. Really hasn't been the best of days. I sent both stories back out to other magazines.
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And the hits (to the head) keep comin'. 6-day knock down from Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine.
My commiserations re: the Time Travel anthology, Detective...that probably means that my R is also forthcoming. But hope springs eternal...and if it's any consolation I've probably racked up way more than 60 since my last sale (granted, a lot of them were sim-subs but still)
Really getting pounded now. 53-day beat down from Darkfuse Mag makes three forms in three days. Maybe I should try fingerpainting or roulette.
You're not alone. I got caught in the Darkfuse sweep too with a 29 day R from them. I was also in the Grendlesong sweep with a 43 day and I got a hit from Shimmer with a 4 day. All this morning. Hasn't been a good week. I need more ice cream lol. I'm only sending one of them back out. The others are getting reworked.
My commiserations re: the Time Travel anthology, Detective...that probably means that my R is also forthcoming. But hope springs eternal...and if it's any consolation I've probably racked up way more than 60 since my last sale (granted, a lot of them were sim-subs but still)
I'm pulling for you, gringo. The editor said he should have his picks near the end of February. We're not that far away and you're still in the running.
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Guh, sorry about all the Rs, people. It especially sucks to get them on the same day.
Just remember every 100 Rs to throw yourself a party. Persistence is absolutely the most important tool in the writer toolkit, even up above caffeine and chocolate
...and if it's any consolation I've probably racked up way more than 60 since my last sale (granted, a lot of them were sim-subs but still)
Just remember every 100 Rs to throw yourself a party. Persistence is absolutely the most important tool in the writer toolkit, even up above caffeine and chocolate
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Got a 10-day R from F&SF. It's the first time I've subbed a rejected anthology piece to a magazine, and it showed. Finlay said it was nice to see another piece from me, and there's "some good writing in there," but the trope-inverting approach just wasn't right for F&SF. Can't blame him there.
I think the piece's best fit might be a place like Mothership Zeta, but of course they aren't open. Sent it to Shimmer, because occasionally something will hit them in the funny bone.
Peace
Ty
I think the piece's best fit might be a place like Mothership Zeta, but of course they aren't open. Sent it to Shimmer, because occasionally something will hit them in the funny bone.
Peace
Ty
Got my first rejection on my latest short story, which I worked on for a long time and workshopped heavily. Finlay from F&SF thought it had an interesting premise and themes but it didn't "win him over" in the end. So on it goes to Asimov's. I know I'm starting at the top and these are tough markets, but it's hard not to feel like the long cycle of rejection is starting all over again. I began writing a new story last night and I'm thinking, "Am I just starting my latest failure? Am I wasting my time?" I know that sounds melodramatic but I've never had a win, so it eats away at you.
The one thing I do feel positive about is I sat down last night with a blank page and no ideas, and within an hour began writing two separate stories that interest me. Who knows if they'll be any good, but at least the creative spark is there.
The one thing I do feel positive about is I sat down last night with a blank page and no ideas, and within an hour began writing two separate stories that interest me. Who knows if they'll be any good, but at least the creative spark is there.
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I'm not so sure about the "always start at the top" advice any more. I've got a couple that I'm shopping around, but I don't think they're really pro-level, so I didn't bother to slog through every possible pro market before skipping to semi-pros that I think might be a better fit. We'll see if that works, because some of them aren't really any easier to get into.
But I don't know that it's truly a good idea to constantly put work that I don't consider my best in front of the pro editors, and possibly color their view of my writing quality. Not that it's a sure thing that they remember me, but still.
But I don't know that it's truly a good idea to constantly put work that I don't consider my best in front of the pro editors, and possibly color their view of my writing quality. Not that it's a sure thing that they remember me, but still.
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Don't let it get you down. I look at everything as practice. Every trunked story, every 'not quite right for us,' and yes, the awful fanfiction from when I was in high school. It's all building something.
JJ, I agree that you shouldn't send everything you write to the pro editors, not if it's not your best effort. I was confident that this story was the best I could make it while still telling the story I wanted to tell. I made almost all of the changes that readers suggested, with the exception of a couple of ideas that I thought would make it something very different. I think it's a little bit of an odd tale and maybe not to everyone's tastes. But I wouldn't have sent it to F&SF if I didn't think there was a chance, or if I wasn't happy with it. The more rejections I get, the more I question my judgement, of course. And that's true, SSM, every story you write is a building block. Eventually (hopefully) one will click in.
And that's true, SSM, every story you write is a building block. Eventually (hopefully) one will click in.
Well remember that F&SF's acceptance rate is .6% (POINT six, not just six percent). Finlay himself has said over and over that he is forced to reject many high-quality stories. You really can't base whether a story is good solely on getting accepted to markets like that.
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"Overall, it's just not a perfect fit with what we're currently publishing," says Shimmer. Sent it to Uncanny because they happen to be open right now and I've got nothing else to send them, but thinking maybe Strange Horizons once it comes back?
Moral of the story, for me: Don't write a piece for an anthology unless it's going to be accepted.
Peace
Ty
I've heard that one of the problems with anthologies is then all the stories that got rejected are sent around to other markets, who are suddenly flooded with similarly themed stories. And of course they don't want a bunch of the same theme, even if they're really good.
I'm afraid I'm about to go through that with the were- anthology. I wouldn't have bothered, but I came up with a really cool idea that really wanted to be written. If it gets rejected, maybe I should sit on it for a while. Eh, I'm not sure.
I'm afraid I'm about to go through that with the were- anthology. I wouldn't have bothered, but I came up with a really cool idea that really wanted to be written. If it gets rejected, maybe I should sit on it for a while. Eh, I'm not sure.
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Two stories, two rejections. Though they were expected, I'm still left wondering, "What am I missing?"
An R with a request to see more work. And it wasn't of the ones I'm really really hopeful for.