Writing New Story With Elements of Rejected Story

Taylor Harbin

Power to the pen!
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Dec 8, 2013
Messages
3,078
Reaction score
1,499
Location
Arkansas
Not sure where to post this, but since it concerns submissions to editors I thought this would be a good place.

While brainstorming yesterday I realized that I might have a potentially good story if I combined elements of several different rejected stories, mainly the MacGuffin, but change out all the characters and use a completely different plot, even a different title. Would this count as rewriting and submitting previously rejected work or does that depend on the editor?
 

Gillhoughly

Grumpy writer and editor
Absolute Sage
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 12, 2006
Messages
5,363
Reaction score
1,761
Location
Getting blitzed at Gillhoughly's Reef, Haleakaloha
I have worked in acquisitions and labored in the slush pile.

When you get in 50-70 submissions a day you are not going to remember any of them unless they are good enough to pass upstream to the next editor or they are so abysmally awful you call a time out and raid the liquor stash.

Seriously, no editor or agent is going to remember a previously rejected submission unless it falls into one of those extremes. Rewrite all you like. It is part of the job to resubmit after a rewrite.
 

Taylor Harbin

Power to the pen!
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Dec 8, 2013
Messages
3,078
Reaction score
1,499
Location
Arkansas
I have worked in acquisitions and labored in the slush pile.

When you get in 50-70 submissions a day you are not going to remember any of them unless they are good enough to pass upstream to the next editor or they are so abysmally awful you call a time out and raid the liquor stash.

Seriously, no editor or agent is going to remember a previously rejected submission unless it falls into one of those extremes. Rewrite all you like. It is part of the job to resubmit after a rewrite.

Thank you! This really puts my mind at ease.
 

mafiaking1936

Nihil debetur. Nihil debens.
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Mar 21, 2017
Messages
370
Reaction score
100
Location
...from inside the house!!!
The first story I ever got accepted was basically a few pages taken straight from my novel MS. And since the novel will probably never get published, no one will ever know!
 

cool pop

It's Cool, Miss Pop if You're Nasty
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Oct 20, 2009
Messages
660
Reaction score
131
Location
Texas
You can do whatever you want. It's your writing. :)
 

Thomas Vail

What?
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Oct 21, 2014
Messages
506
Reaction score
57
Location
Chicago 'round
Not sure where to post this, but since it concerns submissions to editors I thought this would be a good place.

While brainstorming yesterday I realized that I might have a potentially good story if I combined elements of several different rejected stories, mainly the MacGuffin, but change out all the characters and use a completely different plot, even a different title. Would this count as rewriting and submitting previously rejected work or does that depend on the editor?
It's not all that uncommon - reading the behind the scenes stuff of tv writers, established authors, etc, you will come across multiple examples of 'I had this orphaned idea way back when/a manuscript that just wasn't getting traction/a short story that had so much potential but I just didn't have the chops to make the novel out it I can now.' Sometimes something you wrote previously just doesn't work where you originally put, but fits much better with something you do later on, getting reshaped for the new purpose.
 

musicblind

May Cause Damage
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jul 21, 2018
Messages
112
Reaction score
26
Location
Nope
I think it's normal.

I started a book years ago about a serial killer who killed using snake venom to hide what he was doing.

It didn't work out. About 30,000 words in it just felt so flat. The outline was okay, but the characters weren't and I couldn't make them be. I finally said, "You know what, this is a just a whole bunch of nope." Then I shelved it. However, I'm thinking of taking another crack at the outline with different characters for NaNoWiMo.

Most editors aren't going to care if you have completely reworked something because you realized it wasn't the way you wanted it. Recognizing something you created isn't ideal is a sign of a good artist.
 

Thomas Vail

What?
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Oct 21, 2014
Messages
506
Reaction score
57
Location
Chicago 'round
I use a metaphor of cooking ingredients. You tried a recipe before, and some of the ingredients just weren't a good fit. Later on, you're working on a new recipe and remembering that previous one, think, 'you know what, that thing might be pretty good in here. Let's give it a try."