So I’m submitting again. Short stories. Yes! I can’t wait for the rejections to come flying my way!
…
…
Okay, truth be told I stopped submitting for that reason, actually. Yes, it’s lame. Yes, it’s defeatist. But I’m just human and the string of “No’s” was getting brutal. Like, “I suck at this!” brutal.
So why have I started back up? Well, with the help of my new writing group and after a year of growth as a writer I feel like I have something better to offer. Old stories are being given new life as I go over them with fresh perspective and a new skill set I didn’t have before. And I suppose I’m curious to see what kind of reaction I get this time around.
Probably more “No’s” but I won’t know for sure until I try. 🙂
I’m proud of you. Dyane! You’re getting back on that horse, and you’re going to ride into the sunset with it eventually 😉
But you may have a few more mountains to cross first, danget.
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lol Way to go, Katie! Build me up just to drop me back down on my head, lol
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Good luck, Dyane.
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Thanks! 🙂
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I hope you get the responses you want this time. Good luck.
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Hello! Oh, me too. But the point is to keep on trying, right? 🙂
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Yes, the rejections … they suck !! Lol Good for your that you are out there again. Positive thinking that this time it will be different Dyane 🙂
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Thanks, Yolanda. 🙂
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Best of luck to you! 😀
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Thx Sara!
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I love that attitude Dyane! Good on ya, stick with it. Looking forward to reading the posts about the ones which get accepted 🙂
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Oh you are very optimistic, but I like that attitude lol I’ll be sure to share the results 🙂
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A fair amount of the time, short story rejections are not about you or the story, but the market. Sometimes, editors are too pressed for time to tell us that in their form letters, but your story may be too similar to one they’ve already accepted, or it’s well-written, but just not right for that particular market.
Part of the thrill of submitting for me is finding the perfect market for my story before that fourth and fifth and sixth rejection. It’s a challenge I take on wholeheartedly. Market analysis can be fun.
Good on you for submitting again. I’m sure you’ll place your stories.
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Very interesting way to put it. I think I’ll try approaching the process similarly. Thanks for your comment 🙂
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Good for you, Dyane! It just takes one yes. So keep at it. I believe in your talent. 😀
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Thanks! 🙂
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My local writing group has a competition called ‘Rejectomancy’. The idea is to set a goal for the number of rejections you hope to accrue in a year, and try and exceed it. The purpose is twofold: immunize yourself to rejections, and submit as much as you can in order to get stuff out there. Every rejection is a badge of honor.
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Nice. I like that idea. How many are you aiming for?
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Hmm, I’m not really much of a short story writer. Still, I’m at one rejection, one acceptance, and one still out there.
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One acceptance? Wow! That’s great!
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Hey, that’s a cool idea 🙂
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I think it’s always worth trying. I’ll be going into submission process soon enough, so… I’m there with you 🙂
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Nice! Keep us posted, will you? We can encourage one another 🙂
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Hey, I wish I had half the back catalogue of completed short story material that you have to work with. Sometimes it’s harder to invest in writing good short form stories than it is to write another chapter of a novel, because the novel feels like a bigger, and more worthy, project. But short stories are growing in importance with the rise of flash fiction and digital media, and if you look back through history they were always prominent in the collections of noted writers.
Short stories are like a job resume: you tailor them to each submission. But if they still fail, you can always stick ’em on your website to create more eye candy to hook the casual reader.
Looking forward to seeing the results!
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You are absolutely right, and I like the idea of shorts being like a resume. Thx for your insightful comment 🙂
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