[Writingworkshop] Deja Rejection

[Adam Holland]

I'm not so sure we're doing anything "wrong".
we may well be writing excellent stories. ( I'm certain you are, for
instance).
But we're just not writing stories that a few people think are the sort of
stories a very small subset of people ( the dwindling subscriber lists of
these magazines) are reading.

I'd like to know specifics, too.

If the missing piece is sex, I'm out of luck.  The idea of writing a good
sex scene frightens me.
However, if I ever get any serious work on my novel done, I'm pretty sure
I'm going to have to have at least one.

AH

On Sat, Sep 5, 2009 at 12:02 AM, Neale Morison <neale at nealemorison.com>wrote:

> And in other news, F&SF says 'Thank for you submitting "Specs." but I'm
> going to pass on it. This tale didn't quite work for me, I'm afraid...'
> It seems Stacy Friedberg and John Joseph Adams have a similar turn of
> phrase. About a week since I sent it. At least they turn their rejections
> around quickly. I'd love to know what their criteria are. I'd love to know
> the line at which they stopped reading.
>
> That's Asimovs and F&SF who regretfully don't want anything to do with
> Specs. There's not a lot of insight to be gained from these form rejections.
> We need a way of figuring out what we're doing wrong. Either we give each
> other brutally nitpicking honest advice or we find someone who will.
>
> Working from some good advice in "How Not to Write a Novel", Mittelmark and
> Newman, I can think of one thing I did wrong in Specs. The bit where he
> takes a shower and moons the surveillance op and she notices a rash around
> the pelvic region. It was meant to desexualize the moment and wind up the
> pathos, but it maybe just like totally grosses people out.
>
> Also the technology was a bit pedestrian. Not radical enough. I'm bored
> with wonder tech, but maybe the alternative, not very different from now
> tech, is equally boring to some.
>
> Also there was no sex.
> --
> Neale Morison
> 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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