Rejection slips suck. They're depressing. They're not even big enough to write a grocery list on the back of.* They irritate me. They annoy me. They always make me wonder why? Do editors really think I would bother to send them my little 'mind children' if I didn't think they were good enough to publish? Do they think I'm one of those teen-age wannabees writing under the covers on a tablet by flashlight? Do editors think?
There, having gotten that off of my chest, I don't feel a bit better, not a bit. In fact, I feel just a little bit guilty.
The last rejection slip I received had a short personal note added to the bottom of the standard printed form. The editor wished me luck with my 'tale'. It was nice of him to take the time out of a busy day to do that.
As a matter of fact, this particular editor at this particular magazine had been very helpful to me in the matter of overcoming 'European obstacles' in submitting my work to him. He didn't say the writing or workmanship was bad. He didn't say the manuscript was poorly written and submitted. He didn't say I should try another line of work. He just said, in effect, that it didn't grab his attention.
Well, I can understand that because it is one of a series of short fantasy stories that are intended to eventually form the core of book. They are deliberately written low-key, intended to follow one after the other, building toward a total story.
Why then, did I submit it to him? Honestly? Because a long time ago, Zenna Henderson did exactly the same kind of thing with a series of fairly small fantasy stories about 'The People'. And she was darned successful in doing it that way, too! It was so gently done, so low-keyed in its approach, that you were hooked before you realized it, looking forward to the next story and the next.
No, my stories are entirely different. My style is entirely different. The only similarity is the idea of building a series of small, under-played stories into a whole novel.
So why am I depressed about this rejection slip? Because, as I said, rejection slips suck.
*This is not an accidental grammatical error. Ending a sentence in a preposition is a writer's act of defiance, a literal literary thumbing of the nose at an 'establishment' that fails to appreciate their efforts.
Note from the editor: Now really, that HAD to make you feel a little bit better.
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