I got a rejection email today from a magazine. Reason for Rejections was grammar and mechanics. I'm not 100% sure what mechanics is. I'm not sure what to do. I'm dyslexic and i tried to edit my self but clearly failed. Also had a friend look over it but doesn't seem they are that good at grammar and mechanics. Help...
Do you use a spellchecker? I usually detest Microsoft Word's spellchecker, but with your circumstances it might be just the ticket. Mechanics could mean the actual structure of the story, so as far as that goes I'd see if you could find some beta readers to take a look and give you feedback- preferably avid readers and experienced writers themselves. But generally, the best approach (in my opinion) to a rejection is: reflect, review and resubmit (not to the same place, obviously).
If you don't have a spell-check i suggest you either activate one or download one. and it's all apart of the process, i haven't finished a novel that i wanted published and it got rejected, but i know it's gonna take awhile. But don't give up. Keep on submitting as much as possible. Eventually you will get there. Some publishers are jerks. But one day you will find one that will publish you.
Rejection means you're not sitting on your butt. For every person who has sent off a query, there are ninety-nine others who haven't. It's a step forward. Believe me. Every single author, be they King, Chrichton, Seuss, Wilson, Koontz, Boynton, or Steele--every one--has been rejected at some point. The magazine took the time to pinpoint why they turned down your work. This might be different for magazines as it is for publishing houses and agencies, but if you get anything other than a form letter, that means you're mere inches away from something saleable. Otherwise, they wouldn't bother. This is a good thing and you should congratulate yourself. Have a drink and write another draft. Never feel bad about a rejection. PM me if you want another pair of eyes on it.
I don't feel bad about the rejection. In fact I don't see it stopping me from writing and continuing to submit work. I was rejected over a grammar and mechanics. That something i know can be fixed. I do use a spellchecker but being dyslexic I use a Text to speech program. So when i hear the word i was trying to spell being what i wanted. I use it. But i think sometime its not the right spelling for it. I don't think mechanics can be fixed with spellchecker? if it can then clearly i dont know how.
Truth is, if the grammar and mechanics are not up to standards, the editor probably didn't even read the entire submission. I know I never did when the grammar was particularly bad. I think you owe it to yourself to get whatever help you can to make the grammar above reproach. Then the story can at least stand or fall on its own.
I believe they read it. they said "I thought your story had an interesting concept" plus it wasn't very long.
Ah. Well I'd take that a positive note then. If they didn't just send one of their stock replies (there are sometimes more than one, for example "this doesn't meet out needs right now," or "grammar problems) then as was pointed out above they saw something in the story. Congrats. Get that thing fixed up and sent back out!
Not to be devil's advocate or snarky, but "I thought the story had an interesting concept" is a pretty vague statement that someone could easily B.S. Steerpike is right: SPaG is vital, and there's more to it than just proper spelling and knowing where to put your commas. The best writers actually create tones and moods for the story by using sentence structure, passive/active voice distinctions, words that sound certain ways, length of sentences etc. These are called rhetorical devices, and are a HUGE part of writing mechanics that you'll want to be savvy on in addition to just spelling/punctuation. A good book for the rhetorical devices is "Elements of Style," and "When Words Collide" is pretty decent for basic SPaG stuff.
Well done on at least submitting something; just don't lose heart too quickly. The trouble with spell checkers is that they do not distinguish between phonetically similar words like too, two and to. I would also be happy to have a look through your work. Just send me a PM if interested. Rachel
My suggestion would be to get more pairs of eyes on your work before you submit it. The fact you're working on writing despite your dyslexia is admirable, but it also means you must tread carefully. One of the most advantageous things I've found is a writing group, which may meet at a local bookstore in your area. They do not need to have critique as their focus; you can go there for fun and network with others as you get to know them. I attend a weekly group, and it's been the highlight of each week. A spell check program will be very advantageous, though--as was already mentioned--it does not distinguish between words that are phonetically similar or identical. That's where you need someone well-versed in language arts to examine word usage and mechanics (sentence structure and the way that words are used to form sentences) in your writing.
First off congrats on getting your arse into gear and submitting stuff! Secondly take the positives from this, the rejection reasons were very much things that can be fixed.
fs... if you want, i'll be happy to give your piece a good looking-over and let you know what needs fixing... lots of my mentees have had similar problems, so drop me a line any time, if you want some help with this... love and hugs, maia maia3maia@hotmail.com
I don't know what program you use for writing, but Microsoft Word 2010 has a spellchecker with a function that you might find useful, it can usually distinguish between different spellings of phonetically similar words and knows when to use the right one, e.g. there, their and they're, underlining them in blue. It's not 100% accurate but it might still be a help
That's a good idea, but i suggest you should explore it a bit if you use it. My sister has the 2007 edition and it's hard to navigate. The 2010 is definitely more improved then ever. If you have a difficulty navigating it, you'll get used to it.
