Whoo! Another rejection! But in a good way!

[sinanju]

I got a story rejection by email this morning. The first paragraph reads as follows:

I’m writing regarding your April submission to [Magazine], "Story Title.” Unfortunately, this isn’t something that I can use in [Magazine], but you’re definitely on the right track as far as voice, style and category focus.

The second paragraph goes on to explain exactly why the story didn't work for her. So now I know how to tweak future stories to get a better shot at selling them. That's good.

I'm disappointed, of course, that I didn't hit the mark. But not terribly surprised. On the other hand this was a personal response, so in that sense I'm very pleased. The editor took the time to write me and explain why she couldn't use the story. That's a very good sign. I'm jazzed!

Lots of (non-writing) chores to do today. I'm gonna try to get some writing done, but...we'll see.

UPDATE! In the time it took me to post this and then go change into my running clothes, I received another rejection by snail mail. This one was from Fantasy & Science Fiction. Not so personal. But also, not a big surprise.

So I have two stories to resubmit somewhere. Off to run.

Comments

[fikgirl]

I'm just impressed that you're able to crank out stories so quickly. How do you go from a vague idea to a completed story in just a few days? It's impressive.

[sinanju]

How? Mostly through persistence. I get a vague idea for a story and I sit down and write the opening. Then I write whatever seems like the right next thing, and the next. Eventually I get to the end, revise as little as humanly possible (spell check and clean up any grammatical booboos I spot) and then I'm done with it.

If you've been reading my posts, you know that I seesaw between thinking any given story is good and thinking its complete crap, going nowhere, unsalvageable, etc. (The current story I'm writing, "Home Invasion", for instance. At this very moment I'm wondering if it's going anywhere and whether it's worth finishing.) From what I've heard/read published writers say, that's just how it is. You never get past that.

That's when Robert Heinlein's rules for writers come in. I ignore my inner critic and just keep writing. My goal is not to create a perfect (or even good) story; it's just to write--and finish--a story. Period.

My job when I'm writing is simply to write. Editing comes later. When they're done, I let my wife read them and get her reaction. Then I send it out to let editors tell me whether it's any good or not. Preferably by sending me money, but even rejections tell me something useful.