Anatomy of a Rejection Letter

[fireun]

Thank you for submitting "****" to *****.  I'm going to pass on your story.  There's some interesting imagery here, but the tale overall just didn't grab me.  Best wishes placing it elsewhere.

Things that make me very happy about this rejection letter- you will notice the acknowledgement that the editor not only read the story but had something good to say about it. Fantastic!

What to do with this knowledge- go back, and look at what I have written with what follows that something good in mind. He liked the imagery, but there was not enough of a 'grab'. So, if I was interested in continuing to shop this story around I would then go back and look at the structure of what I have written. How can I rework things to better catch a reader? Maybe it was just not a good fit for the anthology, but maybe it really does need work. The first draft you write for you. Every following edit you are fine tuning the writing for an audience.

Never be too in love with what you have written, my friends. Enjoy your craft. Enjoy the sheer joy of watching the words emerge as you write, the words twisting and twining together into a tale. But know that your craft can always be improved. Rejection letters can give you immensely useful bits of information in regards to what you need to look at. If someone has taken the time to tell you why they have rejected your work read it closely, and even if you don't agree, go back and look at your work with a critical eye.

Comments

[http://users.livejournal.com/la_marquise_de_/]

I'm sorry the editor didn't buy your story, but you're right. Personal rejections are often very helpful and remarkably nice to get.

[helen-lerewth.livejournal.com]

That's an amazingly positive reaction to a rejection letter. May I use it to encourage others when they get work rejected? (and myself, obviously).

[fireun.livejournal.com]

Go right ahead!

There is always a let down when a story/book is rejected, but rejection is not a wall- it's an invitation to keep working at being better :) I find personal rejections very encouraging, especially in instances like this where I had submitted during an open call, and the editor has to have been slogging through quite a few submissions.

[fireun.livejournal.com]

That one sentence really does take the sting out of the rejection- for me it almost puts it on a critique level, and now I can go back and rework the story with that mindset. Makes a world of difference.

[anat-astarte.livejournal.com]

I agree, kudos to you for such a wonderful outlook.
Sorry your story wasn't selected, but then, in time, I think someone else will :D

[havocmangawip.livejournal.com]

Your story was actually READ and given con crit! NICELY done!

Keep rocking! I'm sure a PAYING audience will buy MORE of your things! You're so brave to submit stuff! I'm super duper impressed.

[fireun.livejournal.com]

One month until the first story is on sale :3

I just keep submitting things as I work on them. Rejection letters are evidence I keep trying!

[questofdreams.livejournal.com]

That's a fantastic way to handle rejection letters. You are such an inspiration :)

[animegoil.livejournal.com]

Even though it's a rejection letter, that is wonderful that he bothered to take the time to let you know that he did read it and give you concrit. From what I hear, that's extremely rare and happens only when they think there's a lot of potential.

That's a hard sentence to swallow though - never be too in love with what you have written. Certainly, it's true that you can always get better, and oftentimes we get so attached to something that we can't see that the story would be better off without it, or restructured. But it's so hard to let go!

"The first draft you write for you. Every following edit you are fine tuning the writing for an audience."

Wow. I had never thought of it that way. It goes against a lot of what you hear in the fanfic world at least, because there it's always 'write for yourself'. But if you really want something published, it's true, you have to keep your audience in mind.

♥ Thanks for the insight!