Festive Christmas Rejection
No, seriously, I just got my best rejection ever-- on DCDS: The Short Story. Strange Horizons actually took time to send me a personal e-mail with some good feedback suggestions. I think they had the story about 40 days. It was my first time submitting there. They said try the print prozines just in case, because someone might bite on it (though I think I've already got most of them). I like that it was more than a form rejection, and was surprised that the editor had also perused my website. It really gives me a good opinion of them as a market.
They're right, really. The story is not very tight structurally (composed of alternating past and present scenes, at least one of which I know could go, but then it would screw up the alternating, so I left it in) and it's too long. It's the length that makes it a problem, as most places prefer stories of 3-6K words. I've tried paring it down, but I can't seem to do it without losing bits I like. I will definitely ponder it more, but I'd rather send it a couple more times and spend my time finishing up a few others I've been working on. I'm not wedded to every single one of those scenes... half of them are in the novel anyway.
I have one or two more stories that are very close to being ready. Mike is always bugging me to submit more, and I know I need to, but my definition of "ready" is very picky. Anyhow, I am going to plug Strange Horizons. I really enjoy the stuff on their site, and will submit to them again.
4 comments:
Good for you for getting your stuff out there...rejection is part of being a writer.
A personal response is a good thing, really! At least you are getting some important feedback. The very fact that someone saw enough merit in what you wrote to send you a reply indicating its strengths and weaknesses shows that you have talent.
You just have to keep at it!:-)
Merry Christmas!
Oh, I'm keeping at it! Rejection isn't as bad as you'd think. It's not personal, after all.
Oh my gosh! I got rejected by Strange Horizons, too, about four years ago. I did get a personal response, but it was only like one line:
"We found the pacing of your story too slow and the overall tone very dark and brooding."
HELLO. Everything I write (ok, almost everything) is dark. Isn't that what they're looking for?
Don't give up--I think they're a good market!!!
--Melissa
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