Five Minute Rant

I would like to rant at myself for a moment: STOP CHECKING DUOTROPE/SUBMISSION GRINDER! And I don't care how tired you are, WRITE WORDS!

I feel better now.

Hey Rebecca! It's Jeff from Character & Voice. Hope your writing is going well. I'm going to try & be more active in the forum. So ... for those duotrope trackers, here's some awesome sauce:

Ifttt.com is a way to leverage the internets to make your life easier. In this case, when someone updates duotrope you can set it up to email you directly--sweet! No more duotrope checking, updates automatically sent to u. You can set it up to text u or really whatever u want. Here's how:

Don't let the "programming" nature deter you. It's very easy to use. It's all done with button clicks, no real programming involved. I set mine up on my iPhone in less than a minute.
Step by step:
1. Sign up.
2. Click "Create Recipe"
3. Click on the blue "This"
4. Click on the Yellow icon "Feed"
5. Click on "New Feed Item"
6. Navigate in a separate window to the RSS feed of the market you're interested in.
7. Copy the URL from that page into the box "Feed URL" and click "Create Trigger"
8. Click on the blue "That"
9. Select "email" or "gmail". I selected gmail cause that is what I use.
10. Open a separate window and open your gmail account.
11. It will ask you to activate email account, do so. Gmail will throw a warning, I was ok with it.
12. When on the page "Choose an action" select "send an email"
13. Enter the email address to send the update to. I changed the title of the email to say the market name "Writers of the Future Update" and left the body of the email alone. I didn't put in a URL attachment.
14. Click "Create Action"
15. I recommend putting in a description so you can tell all the different markets apart. Mine are just "Writers of the Future Duotrope Update", so I can tell them apart.
16. Enjoy!

Don't make the recipes public or you'll get a nasty gram from duotrope for violating user agreement.

I would like to rant at myself for a moment: STOP CHECKING DUOTROPE/SUBMISSION GRINDER! And I don't care how tired you are, WRITE WORDS!

I feel better now.

Seconded. Thirded. And Chomped.
Gator has been doing her nut for ages over a couple of stories that are terribly overdue. I even re-subscribed to Duotrope, I was that desperate. I'm still only entering my data in the Grinder though, I'm just a reptilian lurker on Duotrope. But sooner or later something is going to snap, and for once I'm not talking happy snaps!

I would like to rant at myself for a moment: STOP CHECKING DUOTROPE/SUBMISSION GRINDER! And I don't care how tired you are, WRITE WORDS!

I feel better now.

Hey Rebecca! It's Jeff from Character & Voice. Hope your writing is going well. I'm going to try & be more active in the forum. So ... for those duotrope trackers, here's some awesome sauce:

Ifttt.com is a way to leverage the internets to make your life easier. In this case, when someone updates duotrope you can set it up to email you directly--sweet! No more duotrope checking, updates automatically sent to u. You can set it up to text u or really whatever u want. Here's how:

Don't let the "programming" nature deter you. It's very easy to use. It's all done with button clicks, no real programming involved. I set mine up on my iPhone in less than a minute.
Step by step:
1. Sign up.
2. Click "Create Recipe"
3. Click on the blue "This"
4. Click on the Yellow icon "Feed"
5. Click on "New Feed Item"
6. Navigate in a separate window to the RSS feed of the market you're interested in.
7. Copy the URL from that page into the box "Feed URL" and click "Create Trigger"
8. Click on the blue "That"
9. Select "email" or "gmail". I selected gmail cause that is what I use.
10. Open a separate window and open your gmail account.
11. It will ask you to activate email account, do so. Gmail will throw a warning, I was ok with it.
12. When on the page "Choose an action" select "send an email"
13. Enter the email address to send the update to. I changed the title of the email to say the market name "Writers of the Future Update" and left the body of the email alone. I didn't put in a URL attachment.
14. Click "Create Action"
15. I recommend putting in a description so you can tell all the different markets apart. Mine are just "Writers of the Future Duotrope Update", so I can tell them apart.
16. Enjoy!

Don't make the recipes public or you'll get a nasty gram from duotrope for violating user agreement.

Jeff! Good to see you!

And thank you for the link/directions. I may need to avail myself of them. My compulsive clicky-ing seems worse than usual of late.

I certainly hope we see more of you here around the forums. It was great meeting with you/working with you in Oregon.

So Analog is still looking my story over but Asimov's has finally rejected the one I sent to them.

So no one said anything about how I might have done something wrong there. You can't change a E-mail address there but you don't need to because you put it in new with each submission. Somehow I was a victim of bad timing, I saw the rejection status of my story so Went to submit a new one but when I clicked on the New Submission button the new pad had my name and E-mail address on it. Somehow the rejection of my story hadn't cleared things yet.

So it now works and I sent a new story in. Now its ten stories out--not counting Q2 and maybe one other.

Still be nice dream to get into Asimov's--at the very least a person comment since Ms Williams has read a large number of my stories even if not all the way through.

Another rant at myself.

This time not at my writing even though I probably could.

This time it's at my forgetfulness. I forgot to place a stamp on the SASE I sent with a story to F&SF. I think I did that one time before but it was years ago so I forget how they deal with it. Some markets would just never send a rejection back, WotF used one of their stamps and Joni made a pointed comment about putting a stamp on the SASE.

And since they kinda know me would they go ahead and place a stamp on it anyway? I hope so.

Another rant at myself.

This time not at my writing even though I probably could.

This time it's at my forgetfulness. I forgot to place a stamp on the SASE I sent with a story to F&SF. I think I did that one time before but it was years ago so I forget how they deal with it. Some markets would just never send a rejection back, WotF used one of their stamps and Joni made a pointed comment about putting a stamp on the SASE.

And since they kinda know me would they go ahead and place a stamp on it anyway? I hope so.

They did use their own stamp, with a pointed handwritten note.

The only personal note with the story. Well, Scott gets a week off from my stories and writing, if he notices he may enjoy it a bit.

Damn it -- 86 day form rejection from Asimov's grumble grumble grumble

Damn it -- 86 day form rejection from Asimov's grumble grumble grumble

Geez, Bob, that sucks. And this does not bode well for my story there, which is at 112 days and counting. I have yet to get a personal from them.

Damn it -- 86 day form rejection from Asimov's grumble grumble grumble

Geez, Bob, that sucks. And this does not bode well for my story there, which is at 112 days and counting. I have yet to get a personal from them.

Preston, when you log into their tracking system, does it say "Received" or something else? Just curious, my own is sitting at 78 days and still says "Received", which I take to mean that it hasn't been looked at yet.

Damn it -- 86 day form rejection from Asimov's grumble grumble grumble

Geez, Bob, that sucks. And this does not bode well for my story there, which is at 112 days and counting. I have yet to get a personal from them.

Preston, when you log into their tracking system, does it say "Received" or something else? Just curious, my own is sitting at 78 days and still says "Received", which I take to mean that it hasn't been looked at yet.

Hi Jeffrey,
Just checked. It says "received" and status open. As far as I know, there are only two choices: received or rejected, right? Or is there another category?

Thanks preston!

It's my first entry to Asimov. Other submission managers generally have:
Recieved - in the inbox essentially
In-progress - opened, out the envelope
Rejected - usually in all caps & in red
And another rumored category that I'll believe in when I see it. I'm afraid to mention it lest it blow away into imaginary land.

Anyway, I was just wondering if Asimov had the "in-progress" status. Doesn't sound like it though.

Geez, Bob, that sucks. And this does not bode well for my story there, which is at 112 days and counting. I have yet to get a personal from them.

Preston, when you log into their tracking system, does it say "Received" or something else? Just curious, my own is sitting at 78 days and still says "Received", which I take to mean that it hasn't been looked at yet.

Hi Jeffrey,
Just checked. It says "received" and status open. As far as I know, there are only two choices: received or rejected, right? Or is there another category?

There is an "Under Review" category, but in my experience, it is only there for a few hours or so between "Received" and "Rejected". I also have a 90-day story there waiting to be rejected. It is also currently marked as "Received".

Damn it -- 86 day form rejection from Asimov's grumble grumble grumble

Mine was probably about the same. A few less days maybe but not by much.

I noticed that Ms Williams slowed way down at the same time the new guy-I still can't get his name in my memory- took over at Analog.

Thanks preston!

It's my first entry to Asimov. Other submission managers generally have:
Recieved - in the inbox essentially
In-progress - opened, out the envelope
Rejected - usually in all caps & in red
And another rumored category that I'll believe in when I see it. I'm afraid to mention it lest it blow away into imaginary land.

Anyway, I was just wondering if Asimov had the "in-progress" status. Doesn't sound like it though.

Evidently there is one like it but I've never seen it on Asimov's or Analog. But if it's there for only a few hours I may never see it. Which reminds me I need to check Analog later tonight.

Two Weeks!!!!???

Sara Ellis over at IGMS probably knows my writing by now and what to expect.

That was one of my better, as in writing, newer stories too.

But it's still my writing so that isn't saying much.

This isn't a rant but:
Hmm, it's been more than two weeks since I sent my latest to them, looks like they are going back to their usual return time. Wonder why it dropped by more way more than half last time?

Damn it -- 86 day form rejection from Asimov's grumble grumble grumble

Mine was probably about the same. A few less days maybe but not by much.

I noticed that Ms Williams slowed way down at the same time the new guy-I still can't get his name in my memory- took over at Analog.

Before he was editor at Analog, Trevor was Stan's assistant, but he also did some work for Sheila at Asimov's. He had a major hand in the web strategy and setting up online submissions for both.

And when Trevor became editor, Sheila's new assistant became his assistant.

When Stan retired, he caused shock waves across both magazines.

So I currently have 19 stories in circulation, which is a new record for me. On top of that, within the last two months, I've had seven (!) stories second-rounding. Three of them, I'm told, made it to the final round. Unfortunately, all but two have come back rejected! Rant! Thankfully, two are still holding on (fingers crossed!) And also good news, just heard that a new story is second rounding. I don't know about you guys, but I've never had a thick skin when it comes to rejection. This is so stressful! And yet, I can't stop myself. Write, write, write!

ps: sorry about all the smilies!

So I currently have 19 stories in circulation, which is a new record for me. On top of that, within the last two months, I've had seven (!) stories second-rounding. Three of them, I'm told, made it to the final round. Unfortunately, all but two have come back rejected! Rant! Thankfully, two are still holding on (fingers crossed!) And also good news, just heard that a new story is second rounding. I don't know about you guys, but I've never had a thick skin when it comes to rejection. This is so stressful! And yet, I can't stop myself. Write, write, write!

ps: sorry about all the smilies!

First of all Very Good to have 19 stories out.
Second very good: seven of them or was it eight, second rounding. That is above many of us.
So while it hurts to get a rejection you are doing better than many writers. Keep writing and learning and you will sell. Keep in mind you are off to a good start. Even if you have to grit your teeth and mumble it.

I knew I would get a bunch of rejections so they didn't start bothering me until some time after 200 with no sell or even a comment. But each writer is different-remember even the pros get a bunch of rejections.

So I currently have 19 stories in circulation, which is a new record for me. On top of that, within the last two months, I've had seven (!) stories second-rounding. Three of them, I'm told, made it to the final round. Unfortunately, all but two have come back rejected! Rant! Thankfully, two are still holding on (fingers crossed!) And also good news, just heard that a new story is second rounding. I don't know about you guys, but I've never had a thick skin when it comes to rejection. This is so stressful! And yet, I can't stop myself. Write, write, write!

I'd say this is a good step in the right direction!

ps: sorry about all the smilies!

I approve of ze smilies!

So I currently have 19 stories in circulation, which is a new record for me. On top of that, within the last two months, I've had seven (!) stories second-rounding. Three of them, I'm told, made it to the final round. Unfortunately, all but two have come back rejected! Rant! Thankfully, two are still holding on (fingers crossed!) And also good news, just heard that a new story is second rounding. I don't know about you guys, but I've never had a thick skin when it comes to rejection. This is so stressful! And yet, I can't stop myself. Write, write, write!

ps: sorry about all the smilies!

Wow, Preston. It looks like we're in right about the same place. I've got 20 stories out (also a record) and I've had a similar second round rate, including three stories that were literally "the last story cut". One of those almost acceptances I got to witness in person at the Anthology workshop up in OR, and the other two were by email. And I have three stories at second round or higher right now.

It's going to come for us, sooner rather than later, but yes, the waiting is hard.

Two Weeks!!!!???

Sara Ellis over at IGMS probably knows my writing by now and what to expect.

That was one of my better, as in writing, newer stories too.

But it's still my writing so that isn't saying much.

This isn't a rant but:
Hmm, it's been more than two weeks since I sent my latest to them, looks like they are going back to their usual return time. Wonder why it dropped by more way more than half last time?

Oops, I was wrong about that, this time it was four and a half weeks. Still only a little bit longer than half of how long they had been taking. Anyone else noticed an increase in speed of turn around?

Seems like it had been taking over nine weeks, I think twice it was around seven weeks, then two and now four and a half. Did they hirer someone new to help read? I have said that I wonder if who ever has been reading my stores, is now used to my writing so knows what to expect--implying that they can reject them faster now. But I really don't know.

How's this for a turn around time?
4 hours 4 minutes from Nightmares magazine.

The story didn't 'quite work' for J.J.

Hehe I had an 8 hour turnaround from JJ too, same wording, and the next story I sent had the same wording too (longer response time tho). I appreciate not having to wait ages though!

My rant: I subscribed to a mag because they advertise that they "fast track" subs for subscribers. I sent them a poem, and well after the average response time (for everyone) they rejected it... after the deadline for the next place I'd lined up had passed. GAAAAHRRRGH.

How's this for a turn around time?
4 hours 4 minutes from Nightmares magazine.

The story didn't 'quite work' for J.J.

Yeah, he's very quick.

And I just noticed he's doing Nightmares too.

And that seems to be his favorite phrase even though not the only one.

"didn't quite work" is one of JJA's higher tier rejections, I think. "Didn't grab" is the lowest, which means he didn't finish the story. I think there's one other, but I can't remember what it was. So "didn't quite work" is either the highest(?) or the second-highest.

"Didn't hold" is the middle rejection. It means the story lost him before he finished, but he at least made it past the beginning.

"didn't quite work" is one of JJA's higher tier rejections, I think. "Didn't grab" is the lowest, which means he didn't finish the story. I think there's one other, but I can't remember what it was. So "didn't quite work" is either the highest(?) or the second-highest.

Seems like there's another one I have heard of. No, not the one Kelly quoted. But I have gotten each of these but that other one I think I got once--maybe twice.

While I'm here I will say this even though I should probably wait another day.

But it feels like Scott P over at F&SF is playing with me again. The latest rejection is late even with the Fourth in there. Of course he could have taken more than one day off, if he took any off.

Thinking of the JJA discussion, I was going to say that I don't think Scott has any level of rejections but I think he may have two. Or my writing hasn't excited him enough for even his next level but I think I got one or two that were different.

Yes, I know he's not doing it on purpose but when they take significantly longer than usual and I only get the usual rejection it feels like that.

I hoped my WoTF semi was good enough for Lightspeed... got all excited that 2 days had passed with no rejection. Then it plopped in my inbox with a "didn't quite work", not even a "didn't quite win me over" :(. Rant is at myself for getting my hopes up.