Yep, I got my first rejection error. I did appreciate the fact that the rejection letter referenced the content of the story. For that story, I think I have to start closer to the action and improve some of the language.
Sorry to hear that DefinitelyMaybe! Is it crass to say at this point it's par for the course? I sent a story away when I was either in my early twenties or late teens - I can't remember. It was a childish ya story that I wanted to spin into a series - ala Sweet Valley High. lol! Oddly enough I didn't feel that bad, I knew I was copying the trends, it wasn't the real me. I just was thrilled that they'd taken the time to send me back a rejection letter and my chapter had corrections on it - they'd read it! Or at least some of it. If they actually gave you some tips on how to improve your story kudos! I wouldn't think anyone would take the time to give out tips unless they saw potential.
Thanks Peachalulu. They didn't give any tips. The starting closer to the action is my own analysis. But they did mention the content of the story. From what I've read online, many rejection letters are less personal, so I liked this one. I am deliberately submitting to places which are very competitive. So I'm not surprised at the rejection.
I sent mine to Scholastic - I thought if I'm going to do this - I'm shooting for the moon! You should feel pleased that they mentioned content of your story - sounds like they read it! I'm going to try to finish up my novel and send it off by the end of January that's my goal.
I got a rejection letter when I was fourteen. I didn't even submit anything else anywhere until this past July - got two more rejections. I'm planning on finishing my current story by the end of this month and I expect it to collect more rejections while I'm doing NaNoWriMo.
Congratulations on your rejection. It shows that you had the initiative to send it out. Further congratulations on any personalized response in the letter.
I received my first rejection letter for a short-short story I submitted to a magazine as an assignment for a college creative writing course. The rejection I received was a 3x3 inch piece of paper that said, "We're sorry, blah, blah, blah..." It was disappointing. Good for you that they read your work, keep plugging away!
if it's a book, you send a query letter to agents [or publishers] first and wait till they request sample chapters or the full ms... if it's for a magazine, you send the full article/story/essay with a cover letter... in all cases, you must follow each venue's submission guidelines to the letter... here's the best listing of venues available on the web: www.duotrope.com happy writing/successful submitting! love and hugs, maia
Congratulations! Welcome to the long, awful, somehow-satisfying slog of being a writer. You always remember your firsts. One day you'll look back on this and see that this is where it all began - the very first time you put yourself out there. Celebrate it! I've had billions of rejections, but I've started to find my real calling now. Slowly the rejections have turned into acceptances. I just have to turn those acceptances towards my novels, now!
You know what? Getting rejected is awesome. It means that you've successfully completed your novel, and someone out there be it a publisher or agent has looked at it. And that is the start of how one day you'll find someone willing to take a chance on it. As someone who is still struggling with getting 80,000 words out of my idea, I'm actually envious. Keep up the good fight, and I'll bet you'll get there. Never give up.
Rejection? Woohooo!!! Some people might get jealous. You know...Think you're showing off. Depending on who you are of course, and how small the people feel compared to you. Above post and the post before that are the cutest posts everrrrr. So sweet. Like.. a good metaphor for something super-sweet. Getting rejection shows character and resolve, motivation and.. let's face it.. talent. Hard work merits results. Hang in there, kiddo.
If you're sending out novels, you send to an agent first, who will present your book to the publisher. If the agent doesn't want it, you'll receive a rejection from them. If the agent does want it, then any rejections from a publisher go through them. If you're sending short stories, the publishers will send a rejection to you. Depending on how big a publisher they are, you might get a personal one. Hope that was helpful.
