[Writingworkshop] Rejection

[Neale Morison]

Keep trying. That appears to be the only advice that makes sense. Keep 
writing, keep trying. I think rejection is good. It means you're out 
there. I sent some stories out a little over a week ago. I get to test 
my own advice soon.

Adam Holland wrote:
> And...
> Just got my own rejection letter from F&SF, for the "Mill of Heaven" 
> story from last fall.
> It was an amazingly quick turnaround, almost exactly a week from me 
> mailing it to getting the response in my mailbox.
> I'm not sure what that means, either about the story or the number of 
> their submissions.
> I have to wonder if they even read it.
>
> Last time they rejected me I got a letter from Gordon.
> This time, it was from an editorial assistant.
>
> Text of letter:
> Thank you for submitting "But they Grind Exceedingly Fine", but I'm 
> going to pass on it.  This tale didn't quite work for me, I'm afraid.  
> Good luck to you with this one, and thanks again for sending it our way.
>
> Stacey Friedberg, Editorial Assistant.
>
>
> Oh, well.
>
> Where should I try next?
>
> AH
> --
> refusing to join the narratives for which I'm being recruited
>
>
> On Mon, Aug 3, 2009 at 9:47 AM, Adam Holland <adam.holland at gmail.com 
> <mailto:adam.holland at gmail.com>> wrote:
>
>     I'm going to send something to F&SF soon, I think.
>     --
>     refusing to join the narratives for which I'm being recruited
>
>
>
>     On Mon, Aug 3, 2009 at 5:06 AM, Neale Morison
>     <neale at nealemorison.com <mailto:neale at nealemorison.com>> wrote:
>
>         I just received my first ever rejection slip from Asimov's
>         magazine. It was for Specs. It's a form letter. Just so you
>         can share the trauma:
>
>         Dear Contributor:
>
>         Thank you very much for letting us see your submission. We
>         appreciate your taking the time to send it in for our
>         consideration. Although it does not suit the needs of the
>         magazine at this time, we wish you luck with placing it elsewhere.
>         Please excuse this form letter. The volume of work has
>         unfortunately made it impossible for us to respond to each
>         submission individually, much as we'd like to do so.
>
>         Sincerely,
>         Sheila Williams,
>         Editor
>
>         Note correct use of gerund. All the way from Park Avenue, New
>         York. If you can get rejected there, you can get rejected
>         anywhere!
>
>         I sent it in about mid June so they only took six or seven
>         weeks to get back to me.
>
>         Who knows at what point they stopped reading? The form letter
>         doesn't hint much. They didn't even perfume it. I got at least
>         part of the protocol right if they managed to stuff the
>         rejection form in the return envelope.
>
>         Now that I have written a few things, I can just keep on
>         sending them out. I can live life in an endless cycle of
>         fevered anticipation and slumps of despondency.
>
>         Next, Asimov's gets Last Person Singular, and someone else
>         gets Specs. Who will it be?
>
>         Analog is the same crowd, Dell Magazines, maybe with the same
>         readers.
>         http://www.analogsf.com/information/submissions.shtml
>
>         Fantasy and Science Fiction, of Hoboken, Noo Joisey?
>         http://www.sfsite.com/fsf/glines.htm
>
>
>
>         -- 
>         Neale Morison
>         neale at nealemorison.com <mailto:neale at nealemorison.com>
>         http://www.nealemorison.com
>         35 Frazer St, Leichhardt NSW 2040
>         +61 417 661 427
>
>
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>
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-- 
Neale Morison
neale at nealemorison.com
http://www.nealemorison.com
35 Frazer St, Leichhardt NSW 2040
+61 417 661 427

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