Rejectomancy

So sorry to hear about all the Rs! I'm still waiting on a bunch.

And, oh man, all these other places are probably getting a TON of Identity stories right now. Wonder if it's more advantageous to hold off a bit?

V1c said:

So sorry to hear about all the Rs! I'm still waiting on a bunch.

And, oh man, all these other places are probably getting a TON of Identity stories right now. Wonder if it's more advantageous to hold off a bit?

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Well, if that's a concern for you, there are two schools of thought:

1) You can submit now, before the market is over-saturated, while the rejectioneers (new word!) from the antho are licking their wounds and tweaking their stories, or...

2) You can hold off for a few months while the stories make their way through the major and mid-major markets, so you're not just one in a pile of stories just like yours.

Rejectioneers is certainly better than slushers as far as words go!

I'm of two minds on the subject. I know Clarkesworld has it as a no-no in their guidelines, so that gives me pause. But then, guide lines are guides and a good story rises above the theme anyway.

Or just don't think about it and flop it back out into the wild.

And how does Clarkesworld know? Unless you tell them 'this was my failure for the XXX contest'?

Lillie said:

Was it your identity story too?

I took my courage in both hands and sent mine on to Analog.
Yeah! Dream on, Lillie

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Mine will go to Asimov's, once I finish a quick editing pass! Noticed a few errors.

V1c said:

I'm of two minds on the subject. I know Clarkesworld has it as a no-no in their guidelines, so that gives me pause. But then, guide lines are guides and a good story rises above the theme anyway.

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It can't be any worse than the time they got a flurry of Hello Kitty stories.

Polenth said:

Mine will go to Asimov's, once I finish a quick editing pass! Noticed a few errors.



It can't be any worse than the time they got a flurry of Hello Kitty stories.

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Necrotic Tissue (may it rest in peace) ended up doing a Unicorn themed issue after the editor publically posted he'd never accept a unicorn story (or something to that effect) and thus was flooded with unicorn horror stories that were awesome.

I'm just sadified I wasn't in the know until after. I still need to write a horror unicorn story.

And I do wish those sending your stories out the best! I'm just a worrier at heart

Polenth said:

It can't be any worse than the time they got a flurry of Hello Kitty stories.

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Oh, god. I want to read them all!

Good luck at Asimov's!

Just sent out a piece to a market that I think has a snowball's chance in hell of accepting it, but hey, it's the principle of the thing.

Good luck with it, you never know!

Sorry everyone for the R's! Wonderful to see them all going out again. Onward and upward!

zanzjan said:

That's... really bizarrely tempting, as random prompts go.

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In its own little way, Kij's story "Ponies" is exactly that.

Deirdre said:

In its own little way, Kij's story "Ponies" is exactly that.

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Wow!

Aggy B. said:

Eh. I didn't like Ponies. A bit overwritten for my taste, but whatever.

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Oh, I'm not the only one? It always makes me feel a little odd when something's so well-regarded, wins a dang Hugo, and I've read it and disliked it in the extreme. I didn't find it overwritten, but I didn't care for it either and felt quite cheated in the end. I felt beaten over the heat with the point.

Shelley

Aggy B. said:

Yeah. That's what I meant. When I say "overwritten" I usually mean I felt like something tried too hard. Either with the style or the "point of the story".

I read Ponies as part of my research on Tor.com when I had subbed a story there a year ago. And I was worried because I thought "If this is what they like, I may have a problem."

And it's officially "all crickets, all the time" with me today. *boo*

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Sounds like we disliked it for the same reason. I was a little in disbelief when I read it. I also read it long before it won the Hugo, and was shocked when it did. Compared to a story at Tor that I find awesome and rich like Elizabeth Bear's The Horrid Glory of its Wings, Ponies seems even more simplistic and pedantic (to me, I realize it's personal preference).

Shelley

I kept thinking of a rhyme my son would chant when he was about 10, because it annoyed the girls at school.

My little pony
It's skinny and it's bony
Cut of it's head
And put it to bed.

Isn't that cute?

I read that a while ago and remember not liking it too. Very 'too much' - to spelled out, to easy to anticipate what was going to happen, too obvious, etc., and I love a lot of Kij Johnson's writing.

Oh, and I got my CO answer, as in no, after 120+ days. Form no less. back to cricket keeping (although I have a couple more that are -30+ days on duo now)

Now I have 5 pages due tomorrow. Onward!

Got a 2-day R from Fantasy. Sooooo close - not.

Hmmm...just read "Ponies" and I actually liked it.
It's also the first Tor story I've read--makes me think I might have something that could sell there if only I had the patience!
Waiting on something that's been out 3 months starts making me nuts--I can't imagine having to wait about 9, no matter how many other stories I write and submit in the meantime (unless it's a story I've already submitted so many times I've given up on it and I send it to Tor to die--in which case, it's probably not worthy anyway)!

Anyway, lots of crickets for me although I'm expecting about 8 responses out of the 29 pending within a week or so--2 of which I really care about, having fooled myself into thinking I have a real shot with the story/market lol.

Well, got a form R from Abyss & Apex today. At least they were fast.

I'll have to do some more research and see where the story may fit now.

Sorry to hear that, Emptyeye.

Better luck with the next place.

Sometimes, on Duotrope, I look at the bit that says 'Work submitted here was also submitted to...' For ideas of where to send to next.

R from Casper Pearl's Memory Eater anthology today. Sounds like the story was very close to making it. Oh well. Also got a no from WoTF as well. Rubbish day.