Almost Success - The "Mixed Feelings" Thread

Money - even a token amount - is validation.
Good going Laura

I enjoyed the story a lot. Very nice environmental description. I could make oodles of comments but:

1. I was a little mystified by the new planet outside The Milky Way, though it didn't seem too important.

There were two technical issues for which I wanted to read an explanation.

2. The technology of surface to sub communication. If they have cable connections for communications, then they also have power and control cables and can just haul her up. If they don't have cables then I think the communication technology has to be explained.

3. How do you come up quickly and avoid the bends? [/list:u:vn3l1n5u]

This is me being picky, as usual. I hope you don't mind. You got published without these answers, but with them, who knows, you might have won.




1 x SF, 2 x SHM, 11 x HM, WotF batting average .583
Blog The View From Sliabh Mannan.

 

I enjoyed the story a lot. Very nice environmental description. I could make oodles of comments but:

1. I was a little mystified by the new planet outside The Milky Way, though it didn't seem too important.

There were two technical issues for which I wanted to read an explanation.

2. The technology of surface to sub communication. If they have cable connections for communications, then they also have power and control cables and can just haul her up. If they don't have cables then I think the communication technology has to be explained.

3. How do you come up quickly and avoid the bends? [/list:u:12m6031r]

This is me being picky, as usual. I hope you don't mind. You got published without these answers, but with them, who knows, you might have won.

A personal rejection? Classy!

Oh, hey, I forgot to post about this. My story I submitted for Penumbra's Ocean issue didn't quite get accepted, but it made it to the final round and Celina chose it for May's Rising Talent thingy. They published it on their website along with a brief essay I wrote and I received a token payment of sorts. I went ahead and agreed to the offer since I hadn't had a lot of luck with the piece but I do really want to find a home for it. In the meantime, this works.

That also means it's available for everyone to read for free. Feel free to check it out and lemme know your thoughts:

http://penumbra.musapublishing.com/laurahardgrave.php

Well, that's nice even with "a token payment of sorts". Very nice I would think.

That's great, Laura!

A personal rejection? Classy!

Surely even published authors can benefit from constructive criticism?

Feel free to check it out and lemme know your thoughts:

I thought I was just complying with the author's request. Pardon me if I misunderstood. I seem to make a habit of putting my foot in my mouth around here!

A personal rejection? Classy!

Surely even published authors can benefit from constructive criticism?

Definitely. I think I just misunderstood what your post was, since I didn't read earlier posts for context.

Thanks guys, for the well wishes.

And no problem at all, Ishmael, I did ask, and I do appreciate the constructive criticism. I have a tendency to side swipe the science at times, which I think tends to push my fiction in the direction of fantasy overall, but I'd like to do a little better on the science-y stuff in the future. So thanks! Good stuff to keep in mind.

Thanks. That's a relief. I did not of course comment as an expert but as a reader with a longstanding interest in things nautical, (hence my userid and occasional avatar.)

By the way, if anybody wants to tell me how I could have improved anything that I manage to get published, (as yet limited to a single item of course,) I am as happy to receive as to give!

I am commenting on the general theme of this thread, rather than any specific post. The theme I interpret thus:

"Should you feel good for having a personal rejection or other close call?"

The answer is HELL YES.

Let me share some numbers with you:

From November 18, 2007, up until this morning (5/11/13), I have submitted stories, sketches and articles 414 times (obviously including stories that were rejected, and resubmitted numerous times). I have gotten five acceptances at professional rates (5 cents per word or more). I have gotten personalized rejection slips of one kind or another 49 times. (I keep a detailed Excel spreadsheet).

I count my win in Q2 2012 of Writers of the Future as one of the professional paying successes.

So, of 414 submissions, I got 49 personalized rejections. About 10%. It was nice. More to the point, it told me what editors liked my kind of work. It also told me that I was getting better, when my later work occasioned more personal rejections than my earlier work did!

Take that bit of personal attention from the editor as the compliment that it is, then get back to writing that next story that's even better than the last one.

And if an editor ever closes a personalized rejection with "I look forward to seeing more of your work in the future" he or she ALWAYS means it.

Here's my latest mixed feelings result. 23-day personal rejection from Shimmer. Shimmer, of course, is known for giving mostly personal rejections, but this one definitely gives me mixed feelings: "Thank you for allowing us to consider "XXXXX," but I'm afraid I'm going to pass. This is one of those rejections that we hate to write. Nothing wrong with the story, the despair and sadness were palpable, but overall, it's just not right for Shimmer."

The mixed feelings come from the fact that, while I love the story in question, I think it may be unsellable. Save, perhaps, indie pubbed. I'll try more markets, of course, but I do have a backup plan in place.

Don't stop sending until you've exhausted the markets. Don't do the editor's job, Rebecca! (And awesome personal, btw.)

Don't stop sending until you've exhausted the markets. Don't do the editor's job, Rebecca! (And awesome personal, btw.)

Thanks, Jeanette. Fear not, the story shall continue making the rounds. I may not be a lot of things, but stubborn I am.

I got a very nice personal rejection from the publisher of Shimmer. (All my previous rejections from them have come from the associate or senior editors, not the publisher.)

Thank you for allowing us to consider ... but I'm afraid I'm going to pass. There's a lot of cool stuff here, and the writing's good, but I just couldn't get past... Alas, that spoiled the tale for me.

I hope you're able to find the right home for this one. Try us again with another piece?

(redacted since I may eventually consider sending it to WotF)

This stings a lot less than rejections usually do.

Edit: Rebecca, I just noticed you had a rejection from Shimmer as well. Mine was 22 days. Maybe we can swap stories.

I got a very nice personal rejection from the publisher of Shimmer. (All my previous rejections from them have come from the associate or senior editors, not the publisher.)

Thank you for allowing us to consider ... but I'm afraid I'm going to pass. There's a lot of cool stuff here, and the writing's good, but I just couldn't get past... Alas, that spoiled the tale for me.

I hope you're able to find the right home for this one. Try us again with another piece?

(redacted since I may eventually consider sending it to WotF)

This stings a lot less than rejections usually do.

And it sounds like, if they liked it that much, someone else will too.

Saturday while sending out stories I almost sent one to Shimmer, but I thought I recalled something negative about them but it could be my memory playing tricks again and it was another market that had problems.

Seems like I have sent one story to them a while back, if so I received a normal rejection.

Shimmer people are quite friendly. I don't think I've heard anything negative about them.

Shimmer people are quite friendly. I don't think I've heard anything negative about them.

Agreed. They're definitely one of the most personable markets I've submitted to.

Shimmer people are quite friendly. I don't think I've heard anything negative about them.

Agreed. They're definitely one of the most personable markets I've submitted to.

Thirded. Even my first round rejections have included a brief "this is why it didn't work for us" note.

Yes, Shimmer gave me a nice rejection today. Well, not quite as nice as, Rebecca's...hmm?'

Whatever it was, it wasn't their reaction but it's probably another market I was getting mixed up.

And we shall see how they react to mine.

Sounds like they might be like "Black Gate" if they ever reopen and BCS.

Sounds like they might be like "Black Gate" if they ever reopen and BCS.

They're open now, Louis: http://www.shimmerzine.com/guidelines/fiction-guidelines/

In other mixed feelingsy news, I got a 6-day "passed on to the next round of editorial review" yesterday from Waylines. On the one hand, this is exciting because it's the first time I've ever gotten that instead of a polite (and helpful) "no thanks" mini-crit in the first round. On the other, I suspect all it means is that my rejection will come from an editor instead of a slushpile reader.

Yes, Shimmer gave me a nice rejection today. Well, not quite as nice as, Rebecca's...hmm?'

As I recall a couple people here received a comment with their rejections, it looks they don't do that for everyone like BCS or Black Gate used to.

Mine was nice but almost every rejection is nice even though a couple are very basic neither nice or mean--they could have been written by a Vulcan. Analog and Asimov used to be that way but they changed to something nicer.

Ah, people who get it!

I've had some really positive rejections. My first Waylines sub I got a fantastic rejection ("delightfully dark and original"!) I was insanely excited by getting to the editorial round at Waylines next sub. Shimmer people have always been encouraging. I was shortlisted in Midnight Echo 9. John Joseph Adams sent me a "nicely written and I enjoyed reading it" rejection just before Lightspeed closed for AGES. 😉 I had such a long drought that those positive rejections were the ONLY thing keeping me going at one point.

My mantra is just keep subbing, just keep subbing... 😉

Stupefying stories put one of my stories through two rounds of reading (which I know isn't standard because I got a quick form rejection from them on the next story...).

Daily Science Fiction just e-mailed me to tell me I'm in for another round of reading. I've went from straight form rejections to having 2 of 5 being at least second round.

My Q4 2012 HM received a personal rejection from tor.com. They had some nice things to say about it too, so I'll take it!

Onto the next market! <img src="

My Q4 2012 HM received a personal rejection from tor.com. They had some nice things to say about it too, so I'll take it!

Onto the next market! <img src="

Yay, go for it.

This has nothing to do with writing, but I have a phone interview for a digital applications librarian job in Oregon later today, and am feeling nervous. Awk!

This has nothing to do with writing, but I have a phone interview for a digital applications librarian job in Oregon later today, and am feeling nervous. Awk!

Best of luck to you. This job market is brutal.

This has nothing to do with writing, but I have a phone interview for a digital applications librarian job in Oregon later today, and am feeling nervous. Awk!

And you put this in the 'Almost Success' thread because of some Cassandra presentiment? Nay, gentle Brutus, the fault lies not in our stars. Take time by the forelock, I say, sieze that tide in the affairs of men and mix every quotation you can think of, (except not in the interview of course.)