Five Minute Rant

[WriteToLive]

Ugg, Ideaomance just sent a rejection- not enough explanation of the world. What do they expect in an almost flash story?

{yes, I know the answer to that question, but don't bother me with logic I'm busy ranting}

I mean that story is barely over a thousand words, it started as a flash but I had to add some for a writing challenge, and it's still basically that flash tale. Mumble mumble mumble...




And it didn't do well in that challenge either.

Better than what ParSec said about my story. They said they wand it to either be longer or shorter. I just tilted my head and started at it dumbfounded.

[LDWriter2]

Hmm, which way to go--shorter or longer....uh?


But Ideamancer was worse my quote was only half of what they said...it didn't engage their imagination.


But I really came back to say...And again another reject from F&SF. Sent in the seventh in a row and soon after six's rejection arrived. Stephen seems to be getting faster. (Wonder if Lisa quit). It was ten days, last week eight and now seven. He could be getting used to my writing so he knows what to expect.

At least he said it could Keep his attention but still my best writing and story-after a bunch of extra help-and it barely moves on his scale. I got to that level by myself with Lisa reading, of course only to that level. All those improvements and nothing.

[vanaaron]

At least he said it could Keep his attention but still my best writing and story-after a bunch of extra help-and it barely moves on his scale. I got to that level by myself with Lisa reading, of course only to that level. All those improvements and nothing.

Hey, if you're receiving any feedback beyond an obvious form rejection, it means you're getting close. I never got anything but a form reject from F&SF before this year, then one lukewarm personal rejection from Stephen, and they bought the next one after that. I don't believe the different "levels" of personal rejections mean very much.

[LDWriter2]

That was F&SF's form rejection. I just noticed a typo. It should read "Couldn't keep his attention."


I've heard there are three forms but I've never seen the third one...well, possibly once but I might be getting F&SF's rejection confused with Lightspeed's form.

[ThomasKCarpenter]

That was F&SF's form rejection. I just noticed a typo. It should read "Couldn't keep his attention."


I've heard there are three forms but I've never seen the third one...well, possibly once but I might be getting F&SF's rejection confused with Lightspeed's form.

The three are (I happened to have a bunch of these tacked on my writing board):

1 - "Couldn't grab my interest."
2 - "Couldn't hold my interest."
3 - "Didn't work for me."

Basically, #1 means he put it down right away, #2 is that he read for a while but got bored in the middle, and #3 means he read the whole thing but decided it's not right for F&SF. I think someone posted a link from Gordon (or maybe Stephen) explaining the system.

[E.CaimanSands]

That was F&SF's form rejection. I just noticed a typo. It should read "Couldn't keep his attention."


I've heard there are three forms but I've never seen the third one...well, possibly once but I might be getting F&SF's rejection confused with Lightspeed's form.

The three are (I happened to have a bunch of these tacked on my writing board):

1 - "Couldn't grab my interest."
2 - "Couldn't hold my interest."
3 - "Didn't work for me."

Basically, #1 means he put it down right away, #2 is that he read for a while but got bored in the middle, and #3 means he read the whole thing but decided it's not right for F&SF. I think someone posted a link from Gordon (or maybe Stephen) explaining the system.

Really?
Nice. I got number three on the story I snail mailed across the big sloshy ocean. I assumed it was a flat form reject as it doesn't sound even slightly personal. But maybe it's not as bottom feederish as I thought. (Ok, I know that isn't a word).
So maybe I should indeed consider going to all the bother of snail mailing a few more if this means Stephen at least read it all the way through.

[LDWriter2]

That was F&SF's form rejection. I just noticed a typo. It should read "Couldn't keep his attention."


I've heard there are three forms but I've never seen the third one...well, possibly once but I might be getting F&SF's rejection confused with Lightspeed's form.

The three are (I happened to have a bunch of these tacked on my writing board):

1 - "Couldn't grab my interest."
2 - "Couldn't hold my interest."
3 - "Didn't work for me."

Basically, #1 means he put it down right away, #2 is that he read for a while but got bored in the middle, and #3 means he read the whole thing but decided it's not right for F&SF. I think someone posted a link from Gordon (or maybe Stephen) explaining the system.

Really?
Nice. I got number three on the story I snail mailed across the big sloshy ocean. I assumed it was a flat form reject as it doesn't sound even slightly personal. But maybe it's not as bottom feederish as I thought. (Ok, I know that isn't a word).
So maybe I should indeed consider going to all the bother of snail mailing a few more if this means Stephen at least read it all the way through.

Maybe I have gotten that third one a couple of times but only a couple.

But we are writers we can make up words.

[austinDm]

That was F&SF's form rejection. I just noticed a typo. It should read "Couldn't keep his attention."


I've heard there are three forms but I've never seen the third one...well, possibly once but I might be getting F&SF's rejection confused with Lightspeed's form.

The three are (I happened to have a bunch of these tacked on my writing board):

1 - "Couldn't grab my interest."
2 - "Couldn't hold my interest."
3 - "Didn't work for me."

Basically, #1 means he put it down right away, #2 is that he read for a while but got bored in the middle, and #3 means he read the whole thing but decided it's not right for F&SF. I think someone posted a link from Gordon (or maybe Stephen) explaining the system.

Hm... if that's right then maybe I'm doing better with F&SF than I thought; I always assumed #2 was their lowest tier form rejection. If I remember correctly, out of the three stories I've sent them, I've gotten 2 of #2 and 1 of #3 (btw: rant, rant, my Q2 HM got a #2). I'll have to pull out my rejection slips to confirm and then see about sending in something else.

[LDWriter2]

Hm... if that's right then maybe I'm doing better with F&SF than I thought; I always assumed #2 was their lowest tier form rejection.

After this long and a couple of wishful mistakes, I always assume that a rejection is a market's lowest tier, no matter what it says.

[LDWriter2]

And another rejection...this one from Flash Fiction online. A hard one. They don't like my writing...I've sent them a few different things...including a western, nothing of course. Ugh!



Of course they are all hard but for some reason that one seems more difficult.

[Martin L. Shoemaker]

Ahhhhh, crap! IGMS just rejected my Finalist.

Off to Duotrope!

[LDWriter2]

Been here a lot lately...been sending out a lot lately too. Which means I will be back.


Thought about ignoring my latest F&SF rejection--still from Stephan Mazur, I really wonder if Lisa quit--This time he said "Story didn't quite work" so he read the whole thing. That one was a darker tale too. One step up but that's all I can expect which means the rejection wasn't too bad this time.

[katsincommand]

I'm too tired. Tired of the rejections that mean nothing, tired of the same old stories going through the revolving door. I want to write something new and exciting that someone will be fighting to buy from me.

I'm tired of feeling like my short stories are sub par. I know my novels are my strenghts but that doesn't mean I can't mast short story craft.

I'm tired of having to get up at 445 to write before the kids get up.

I'm tired of being tired.

I think i need a vacation to jejuvenate myself. (Worldcon in two weeks coudn't have come at a better time).

[AMcCarter]

I'm too tired. Tired of the rejections that mean nothing, tired of the same old stories going through the revolving door. I want to write something new and exciting that someone will be fighting to buy from me.

I'm tired of feeling like my short stories are sub par. I know my novels are my strenghts but that doesn't mean I can't mast short story craft.

I'm tired of having to get up at 445 to write before the kids get up.

I'm tired of being tired.

I think i need a vacation to jejuvenate myself. (Worldcon in two weeks coudn't have come at a better time).

I feel that way a lot. I take a break, write something different or format something for epub.

[Dustin Adams]

I'm taking December off.
Who's with me?

(This is a pre-rant for all the words I won't write and will later regret not writing.)

D

[katsincommand]

Not me. Between world con and Viable Paradise, i'm going to be charged up by then. :D

[E.CaimanSands]

I've got my online writing workshop with DWS in December.

[katsincommand]

Why don't we just plan on taking Thursday off instead?

Oh wait, that's today isn't it?

[Isto]

Why don't we just plan on taking Thursday off instead?

Oh wait, that's today isn't it?

Isn't every day Thursday?

I'm sick of short stories, too. Don't really like them. Feel like I've wasted my time writing them when I could
have been working on my two new projects. Today I just said "what the hey" and wrote the beginning of a new novel... maybe novel four, maybe novel six... defintely not number five. I don't know. Don't care about the crappy little details like outlines and such. I just let it fly and it felt SO GOOD.

Now, back to cranking out a synopsis and charting what I'm going to do at Chicon.

[LDWriter2]

I was going to skip my next couple rejections from S&SF but I realized that my latest rejection could very well be rejection number one hundred. To be on the safe side I say anywhere from 98 to 102. From S&SF that is, I've sent more stories to them than any other market. A number of sub-genres in both. At least four different assistant editors have read my stuff--one personal rejection five years ago--so what do they want...a good story with at least good writing. Could be my stories aren't that good but somehow I don't think that's it. Which leaves my writing. Which turns this from a ranting about rejections to a ranting about my writing and my inability to get off of a plateau I've been on for five years. In that case I will go on to the next subject.


Which is Flash Fic. Another form rejection for a different type of story. To be expected but I still hoped they would like the difference. They seem to want out of the ordinary stories.


No wonder they haven't bought my stories...I've been sending them to Science and Science Fiction. Actually, that should read F&SF up there.

[LDWriter2]

I think this is the tread where we all complained about some markets taking longer than usual.

I haven't heard from Asimov' since June. I even checked my E-mail's trashed file, in case I received the rejection and forgot. Nothing in there from them. Most have gotten lost somewhere along the way.

[AMcCarter]

I think this is the tread where we all complained about some markets taking longer than usual.

I haven't heard from Asimov' since June. I even checked my E-mail's trashed file, in case I received the rejection and forgot. Nothing in there from them. Most have gotten lost somewhere along the way.

You can query after 90 days though, right? This is also why I e-sub.

[E.CaimanSands]

My guess is, Sheila Williams was on holiday and now she's at worldcon. I think they are usually slow in the summer. I've had a story there since June as well but I'm not holding my breath, Duotrope confirms they are slow at the moment...

[Martin L. Shoemaker]

My guess is, Sheila Williams was on holiday and now she's at worldcon. I think they are usually slow in the summer. I've had a story there since June as well but I'm not holding my breath, Duotrope confirms they are slow at the moment...

"Slow in the summer" has been my experience with both Asimov's and Analog. I seldom notice any change in speed at F&SF or other fast markets.

[LDWriter2]

You can query after 90 days though, right? This is also why I e-sub.

They even have a button on their website for that. But I don't like to do it for some reason. The few times I didn't received a response-from anyone-I just counted it as a rejection.

[LDWriter2]

My guess is, Sheila Williams was on holiday and now she's at worldcon. I think they are usually slow in the summer. I've had a story there since June as well but I'm not holding my breath, Duotrope confirms they are slow at the moment...

Well, if she is say Hi for me----- whoever is there now.

"Slow in the summer" has been my experience with both Asimov's and Analog. I seldom notice any change in speed at F&SF or other fast markets.

Analog at the same time, Analog's came back in a month or so. One of the quickest responses I've had from them.

Makes me think they really didn't like it.


Sometimes I give up on a market I sent a story to and think either it got lost or I received it and forgot but then a few days to a month later I get the rejection finally. Both Analog and Asimov's have been in that category a time or two. Lately Ideamancer has been there too.

[MJNL]

I haven't heard from Asimov' since June. I even checked my E-mail's trashed file, in case I received the rejection and forgot. Nothing in there from them. Most have gotten lost somewhere along the way.

I'm at 90 days today--the longest I've ever been in Asimov's queue. So, you are not alone! But, Ms. Williams was at worldcon and has been uber busy lately as far as I can gather. No need to get ranty yet Plus, aren't longer waits usually good?

[Martin L. Shoemaker]

A little bit of info from WorldCon... Trevor, the guy replacing Stan, was Stan's assistant; but he also occasionally helped out with matters on the Asimov's side.

Emily, the woman who was Sheila's assistant (roughly the same role as Trevor), is now replacing Trevor as assistant on the Analog side.

So Sheila is losing both her assistant AND the guy who sometimes assisted her assistant.

They'll work this all out, I'm sure, but I expect both magazines to be a little slower for a while.

[LDWriter2]

I haven't heard from Asimov' since June. I even checked my E-mail's trashed file, in case I received the rejection and forgot. Nothing in there from them. Most have gotten lost somewhere along the way.

I'm at 90 days today--the longest I've ever been in Asimov's queue. So, you are not alone! But, Ms. Williams was at worldcon and has been uber busy lately as far as I can gather. No need to get ranty yet Plus, aren't longer waits usually good?

Supposedly but never for me, even when F&SF took two months or more. Which is probably rant worthy.

[LDWriter2]

A little bit of info from WorldCon... Trevor, the guy replacing Stan, was Stan's assistant; but he also occasionally helped out with matters on the Asimov's side.

Emily, the woman who was Sheila's assistant (roughly the same role as Trevor), is now replacing Trevor as assistant on the Analog side.

So Sheila is losing both her assistant AND the guy who sometimes assisted her assistant.

They'll work this all out, I'm sure, but I expect both magazines to be a little slower for a while.

Have a story at Analog which has been there for less than a month but getting close. I guess it will take longer this time, unless it's one of the last ones Stan reads.