I hope this is in the right forum. (I've been away a little while, and now I feel like a newbie all over again.)
I submitted a story to a magazine in March. I want to withdraw it. I have three reasons:
1) The story isn't actually the same genre as the magazine (though it's close enough that, in March, I thought it was). So, it's likely to be rejected, and I don't want to bother waiting.
2) The version of the story I sent out was, despite being a fourth draft, pretty rough in the prose department. The problem's easily fixable, but it makes the story even more likely to be rejected, and I really don't want to bother waiting.
3) (the immediate reason) The magazine is known for very long response times, and another (less prestigious but much more appropriate) market that I'm looking at has a deadline coming up.
Are these legitimate reasons to do something as disreputable as withdrawing a submission? Is it too soon to do so? If I do withdraw, what excuse can I give? Or can I get away with not giving one?
(I actually have several more questions, but I'll stop before it gets ridiculous; I'm terrified of writing letters.)
I submitted a story to a magazine in March. I want to withdraw it. I have three reasons:
1) The story isn't actually the same genre as the magazine (though it's close enough that, in March, I thought it was). So, it's likely to be rejected, and I don't want to bother waiting.
2) The version of the story I sent out was, despite being a fourth draft, pretty rough in the prose department. The problem's easily fixable, but it makes the story even more likely to be rejected, and I really don't want to bother waiting.
3) (the immediate reason) The magazine is known for very long response times, and another (less prestigious but much more appropriate) market that I'm looking at has a deadline coming up.
Are these legitimate reasons to do something as disreputable as withdrawing a submission? Is it too soon to do so? If I do withdraw, what excuse can I give? Or can I get away with not giving one?
(I actually have several more questions, but I'll stop before it gets ridiculous; I'm terrified of writing letters.)
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