Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Stoppit, world! Stop throwin things!

Okay, so in the last week I've received nine rejections. Nine. Not a record, alas (I think my record is ten), but enough that I'm feeling very grouchy and woe-is-me this morning. I mean, even Thaumatrope rejected a twitter story. It wasn't SF/F enough for them--which had me sputtering incoherently, since what's not SF/F enough about Sleeping Beauty getting wrapped up in vines that love her? I guess I didn't get the concept across well enough. The Price of Justice got rejected with a very good but very painful critique, and an invitation to revise and resub. I'm not sure if I want to keep going with that project; it sort of bores me now, and if I address all of the critique's issues and suggestions, it'll turn into a novel.

Thank gawd for Every Day Fiction, which actually sent an acceptance among all the sharp-and-pointy rejects. At least I know I do not suck 100%. Just 99%, or at least it seems that way this week.

Suck it up, me. At least you're getting responses.

10 comments:

Aaron Polson said...

I feel you on the rejects front. This has been a brutal month, leading me to question (again) whether or not I want to keep at it.

(By the way, the Sleeping Beauty/vines trist sounds great)

Cate Gardner said...

That Sleeping Beauty story is crying out for a longer treatment - get to it.

Oh, and I hear you on the rejects. It doesn't help when I keep sending to markets that reply within a couple of days.

Jamie Eyberg said...

I am stuck at 2 rejections for the entire month. I am beginning to wonder if everything I have sent out has gotten lost.

I am with everyone else here, the sleeping beauty/ vines thing sounds wonderful.

K.C. Shaw said...

Aaron--I think editors must be using May as a catch-up month or something.

Cate--Yeah, half my rejections are from places that respond in a day or two. No waiting, but boy do the quick rejects sting.

Jamie--Maybe all yours are sitting in the "email an acceptance" pile. :)

Okay, y'all, maybe I will work that Sleeping Beauty thing into a flash story. I did send the twitter story out to some other twitter market, but I don't think there's a problem getting two stories from the same idea.

Carrie Harris said...

There's no maybe about it! Write that story!

And I hear you on the rejects too.

K.C. Shaw said...

I wrote it last night--335 words of pure amazing. Or maybe pure adequate.

Danielle Birch said...

I think you should write it. Commiserations about the rejections and here's hoping they find a home in June.

K.C. Shaw said...

Thanks! I hope so too.

BT said...

I guess that's the problem with having a huge amount of stories out there, occasionally they will all return home together and not always because they want to.

But it has been a strange month. I've had two rejections. I have a dozen pieces out there, but only two rejections. I've even queried a few of them only to be told they are still considering. Just make a choice already!

I'm sure you will now send them out to new homes and receive multiple acceptances.

I wish you only the best of luck.

And, categorically, for the record - your writing does not suck at all!

K.C. Shaw said...

BT--Thanks, and I hope all your pending stories get accepted. It sounds promising, at least!