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gettingby

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Anyone else end up going to the Grinder (or Duotrope) a LOT more when their work suddenly reaches that point where people who submitted at the same time as you are getting rejections, but you haven't yet....

...and then you get a rejection one day later than the average most of the time. Or the average rejection time goes up and up the closer you get to it.

I don't know why I do it, it's not actually going to change anything. It's a bit like when you're desperate to be pregnant and keep doing tests, but it doesn't matter how many you do, it won't have any affect on the outcome.

I'm obsessed with duotrope. I seriously have to look at it every day. I have to check responses. I have to look at all my submissions. I have to daydream about all my submissions while looking at the list of all my pending submissions. And since I try to send out something every week the list can grow quite long but at the same time disappear all too quickly if a heavy storm of rejections comes my way.

But I know exactly what you are talking about. I had a story on submission at this one place for several months. I kept seeing that they were rejecting stories that had only been out half as long as mine. I saw what looked like two big rounds of rejections while my story was still pending. Then came the rejection. It looks like a hirer tier form but still a rejection. It frustrating. I've got on bunch of submissions in the red on duotrope. I just can't help myself. I have to go check duotrope again right now. :)
 

Eliza C

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ooh yeah - with less than 12 hours to go in June, I got the first draft of my June W1S1 story finished! :)
 

Eliza C

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Good work, Eliza! I'm not gonna make it this month. :(

Thanks!
I've had my months since starting back too that it just didn't happen.
 

Ty Schalter

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Is something up with Fantastic Stories of the Imagination? They shoot for response times < two weeks, and are pretty reliably about that fast. I subbed on June 16th, and the most recent responses on the Grinder hit a week after that. Nothing at all over the last 11 days...

Peace
Ty
 

CharlyT

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Is something up with Fantastic Stories of the Imagination? They shoot for response times < two weeks, and are pretty reliably about that fast. I subbed on June 16th, and the most recent responses on the Grinder hit a week after that. Nothing at all over the last 11 days...

I noticed that too - I have a sub on the same day with them.
 

Ty Schalter

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I noticed that too - I have a sub on the same day with them.

Yeah so a month ago they launched a Patreon "to continue publication":

If Fantastic Stories can reach $1,000 per month in Patreon donations in the next few months, Wilder Publications will underwrite the remainder of the costs of the magazine indefinitely while we develop new revenue models.

As of now they have...$45 per month. I hope they haven't already decided to pull the plug; I doubly hope they didn't already pull the plug weeks ago.

Peace
Ty
 

bexxs

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Yeah so a month ago they launched a Patreon "to continue publication":



As of now they have...$45 per month. I hope they haven't already decided to pull the plug; I doubly hope they didn't already pull the plug weeks ago.

Peace
Ty

I've got a 17-day sub there too.

It's a bit strange to me that they're apparently relying on this Patreon, but don't seem to be advertising it very much. Haven't heard a peep of it on Twitter.
 

Ty Schalter

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It's a bit strange to me that they're apparently relying on this Patreon, but don't seem to be advertising it very much. Haven't heard a peep of it on Twitter.

That was my thought, too: You can't just throw up a Patreon and hope that much comes in. Hope they figure something out.

Peace
Ty
 

CharlyT

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Is something up with Fantastic Stories of the Imagination? They shoot for response times < two weeks, and are pretty reliably about that fast. I subbed on June 16th, and the most recent responses on the Grinder hit a week after that. Nothing at all over the last 11 days...

They must've been on vacation - I got a form R from them yesterday.
 

bexxs

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Does anyone know if Interzone sends out second read notices? I have a story there that's been hanging out for awhile, but there are several others from about the same time still pending on the Submission Grinder, so I'm not sure if this is a sign I've moved up in the pile or if I just got the slow slush reader.
 

zanzjan

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Does anyone know if Interzone sends out second read notices? I have a story there that's been hanging out for awhile, but there are several others from about the same time still pending on the Submission Grinder, so I'm not sure if this is a sign I've moved up in the pile or if I just got the slow slush reader.

Not that I've ever heard of. They can be slow, because they get a lot of subs and there's only a few people reading them. Give it time. :)
 

Ty Schalter

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Gah, I've got one at 71 days with Cicada and I'm starting to get my hopes up. The Grinder only shows three older than mine, with a couple big waves of younger Rs...

Subbing is such sweet sorrow.

Peace
Ty
 

CharlyT

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I don't know whether to be annoyed with myself for missing having a piece complete for July, or whether to heave a sigh of relief that I've completed a piece for August.

Yeah, annoyance is more motivating. I just subbed a newly completed piece to its first market: Clarkesworld.
 

Tamlyn

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Uncanny is open to subs again at the moment.


Of course, the story I wanted to send is tied up and another I thought might fit is 500 words too long (which I didn't realise).
 

CharlyT

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I'm on a roll! I've just finished another piece. This was one I'd started working but started really hating the plot. It got me stalled for a while, but after completing that other story the other day I came up with a much better plot and I only needed to make minor changes to the first scene to make it work for a completely new story.

Completing two stories in three days. A new personal best. :)
 

mistri

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Finished my third story of the month today - well, I was actually pretty close to finishing two last month but didn't quite complete either of them until we were in August, so I've only written one from scratch. But I'm pleased as I had to retire a few pieces from submitting (due to general rubbishness) and now I'm back to seven in circulation. Would like to get up to ten if at all possible, but I also want to start focusing on my novel WIP that needs revising as well, so who knows how far I'll get.
 

gettingby

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I'm starting to second guess myself as to when a story is actually ready to go out on submission. Does anyone else have this problem? Some of my stories have never been submitted anywhere because I'm worried they're not ready or not good enough. I spent all day trying to polish up one of these stories, and I'm still not sure it's ready. Now, I think I should have picked a different story to work on. I don't know. I'm pretty sure everything I write is really stupid.
 

Alma Matters

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Gettingby - I totally see what you mean. I don't think it is something I'll ever master. Sometimes you just need to take the plunge and put it out there - perhaps not to magazines, but beta readers? Is it something you do or have considered? Even on a short story I think it can be valuable.

And, even with betas etc. a piece could still end up being rewritten. I have a piece out at the moment that went out for the first time over a year ago. Since then I've edited it numerous times and it's 700 words shorter.

Your writing will be an ever improving, constantly changing thing and, as a result, that means that perfection is unobtainable. Even the greatest authors out there may look back on old work and wonder about improving it.

Feel free to disregard all of this, I'm still unpublished and floundering. But consider this - if the story isn't out there then how can you ever truly know it's merit?
 

gettingby

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Thanks, Alma. I feel like I've hit a plateau or something. And if my very best stories get rejected, then what hope do these others have? I've swapped stories with people in the past and done workshops, but I don't really have anyone who wants to read my stories at this point. Honestly, I don't feel like I could handle any criticism right now. I'm already feeling a little down and unsure of myself.
 

Tamlyn

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Hey all. I still hang out in this forum, I just don't often post (plus I've been away on holiday) so I thought I'd just check in.

Spent some time today and last weekend actually going through and getting stories back out on submission. Feels really good - I imagine that feeling will last until the rejections start rolling in ;) Still really good at getting rejected at the first stage, but I've had a couple of acceptances to bolster me a bit. I figure at this stage I'm just mediocre rather than bad, but that doesn't help me feel better :p
 

gettingby

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Hey all. I still hang out in this forum, I just don't often post (plus I've been away on holiday) so I thought I'd just check in.

Spent some time today and last weekend actually going through and getting stories back out on submission. Feels really good - I imagine that feeling will last until the rejections start rolling in ;) Still really good at getting rejected at the first stage, but I've had a couple of acceptances to bolster me a bit. I figure at this stage I'm just mediocre rather than bad, but that doesn't help me feel better :p

It always takes me more time to actually send out the submissions than I think it will. I try to make sure I'm putting out new submissions each week, especially since some places just take so long. Are you anticipating a long wait? Good luck with your newest batch of submissions.