Ugh!

ALG71 · Jul 24, 2008

A double rejection day. The second one was a real heartbreaker. I use Duotrope and the avg. acceptance/rejection time was about 50 days/10 days when I submitted in June.

I got to 42 days.

I was almost sure that, finally, I would get my first acceptance. But it didn't happen.

It's so damn depressing sometimes, though. But no, I'm not giving up. It just really sucks sometimes to get so close. I'm guessing it only sucks this bad when you're trying to get that first sale to know you could do it, and the second sale to prove it wasn't a fluke.

At the very least, my stories are now getting past 30 and 40 days+ minimum (usually) before a rejection. So I've got to be getting past the slush pile reader, right? In number of days, that's much better than what I did in the fall of last year when I first started submitting.

nerds · Jul 24, 2008

you're welcome to join me at my neighborhood dive where I'm sitting in the Muscatel fountain. I was throwing darts at myself but they took those away. I'll be the one pelting myself with Chex Mix.

Tburger · Jul 24, 2008

nerds said:
you're welcome to join me at my neighborhood dive where I'm sitting in the Muscatel fountain. I was throwing darts at myself but they took those away. I'll be the one pelting myself with Chex Mix.

Holy Sh&t - that was funny.

ALG: I have no idea how long you've been writing, etc., but it sounds to me like you're going through something a lot of people experience. I know I did. Then I got ticked off by the process. Then I got bored. Once I got bored I started to get some distance from my writing and began making some tough edits, because I just didn't care about those sentences that I swore were crucial to my work.

As soon as I did that one of my shorts made it past the first cut at a nice mag and now I have to wait another two months for the end result. So I'm still not published, and may never be. But I have seen improvements in my work and don't give a damn about duotrope anymore!

Good luck.

regdog · Jul 25, 2008

Sorry for the rejection. But keeping going

Phaeal · Jul 25, 2008

I've never thought about length of time pre-rejection as an indicator that my story's made it past the first screening. Unless the editor tells you pre-rejection or at rejection that you did indeed get special consideration, how do you know whether you actually did or whether the mag was just way behind on the slush pile?

I always assume I was rejected off the slush pile unless told otherwise, but hey, that's just me. I want confirmation on any progress. Preferably notarized.

MelancholyMan · Jul 25, 2008

Tburger said:
Once I got bored I started to get some distance from my writing and began making some tough edits, because I just didn't care about those sentences that I swore were crucial to my work.

I too have reached that point. And you know what, it has improved my work significantly. Still no real responses, but maybe some day... naaahhh.

As regards the reply time, I typically hear from those who've been published, they sent their query off one day and get a call the next. If the agent likes it, why wait six weeks. The long delays on the other hand, I thought, pretty much meant some poor schmuck at the agency was putting off having to respond to all these rejections.

Any hard data on this?

-MM

Ugh!

ALG71

Defanged Hellraiser

nerds

of all the gin joints

Tburger

Wahoowa

regdog

The Scavengers

Phaeal

Whatever I did, I didn't do it.

MelancholyMan

Wear Thick Armor