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I've got 20 stories out at various markets. Since I came to Hatrack River for the first time last Summer, I've written 16 stories, and I've got four 2006 stories still making the rounds. I've submitted to 38 different markets. No sales since 2003. The most rejections from any one source, 8 from F&SF. Longest wait, one story at Asimov's for 5 months, now. Still no word. Longest time without writing or dealing with resubmitting rejected stories, six weeks -- November and early December. Planning to write this post helped me get off my donkey, send out everything that had come back in that period, and get back to work on the story I'm currently working on.
I've posted one of my stories next door at Baen's Universe slush-pile. People seem to like the story, kind-of, but suggest that it should be more emotional and don't like the downbeat ending. So, I've decided to give the story I'm writing now a happy ending, no matter what.
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If a story has been rejected from several markets, do you look at it again to see if there's some way to improve or rework it? I don't do the short story market (novelist here, although I'm trying to write a short for an anthology right now), so I was just curious.
posted
F&SF does have quick turnaround. With Asimov's, maybe 5 months is a good thing. As K.D. Wentworth once said, "Bad news travels fast."
Posts: 1275 | Registered: Mar 2004
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posted
Funny, the comment about the ending, because it seems most of the stories I read in Realms of Fantasy, anyway, have downbeat, dark, or bittersweet endings. Curious.
Well, at least you're putting your stuff out there. It takes that, anyway, to be published. I haven't submitted a single story. 2008 is the year for me.
By comparison, I'm an outright slacker. I was planning to have 4 stories submitted by the end of January.
I had one story ready to be shipped out to WotF, but, with what I've learned here (First 13 Lines), I ultimately decided that the beginning develops much slower than I originally realized. I'm reworking it, and I'm liking how quickly it now gets to the point. The manuscript will be ready for next quarter's contest.
Also, I remind myself that the slim number of short stories that I'll have in circulation is partly due to the fact that I'm also working on two novels...one of which I expect will be completed by the end of April.
[This message has been edited by Crank (edited December 24, 2007).]
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What ChrisOwens said. And they're the only two markets I usually submit to in this slow-on-acceptable-to-me-stories phase of my writing career. (Unlikely this year to be more than one submission, though I have plans to dust off and rewrite some stuff, that may meet my standards)
Though Asimov's did take five months to bounce one of my stories back in 2006...
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This is a great topic. I haven't submitted anything yet. I'm in the early phases, still trying to find a voice. Maybe I'll have something of worth in 08.
38 markets, Rick? That's admirable!
Ditto on Lynda's best wishes
[This message has been edited by psnede (edited December 25, 2007).]
I usually follow Heinlein's advice -- after a story is as good as you can make it, never rewrite unless requested by an editor.
Sometimes I do a rewrite when I think of a way to make a story better, and I always do a rewrite if a story has languished in a drawer for more than a year, but I still have hope for it, and new markets have appeared.
Stories abound of classics rejected multiple times: A Wrinkle in Time, The Wizard of Oz, many others. Or so I remind myself when the thought of rejection becomes paralyzing.
quote:Funny, the comment about the ending, because it seems most of the stories I read in Realms of Fantasy, anyway, have downbeat, dark, or bittersweet endings. Curious.
Actually not curious at all. They are very different markets. I got a story turned down at Baen specifically because of the downbeat ending, and I've seen other writers say the same. They like upbeat endings. RoF is known to like dark, lit'rery style stories.
I'm not a short story writer either, but everyone says they're good to write so I'm trying. They don't come easy for me.
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On the subject of re-writing, if I have gotten several rejections that mention the same thing I'll look at it. I had this happen with a story that editors seemed to think moved to slowly. So I did some trimming to make it move faster. But I think otherwise I'm just second-guessing to no real purpose. I looked at the number of submissions I had out last year and cringed. That was a lot of rejection, folks. But the couple of sales made it not seem so bad.
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Also on rewriting...I'm less inclined to rewrite-based-on-comments-I-get than to learn what I can from them and move on to the next story. Partly it's inborn inclination...partly it's the imprinting of this Heinlein maxim...and partly it's because of a bad experience I had resubmitting a rewrite once.
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I was planning to have 4 stories submitted by the end of January. 
