Hate to say it, but it sounds like a standard form rejection. I got two today that said almost the exact same thing. I often write a story with a certain publication in mind. When they reject the story, I'll write another one with them in mind. Your approach with this wasn't a bad one. There are some places that have rejected more than twenty stories by me. I still write new ones and try them again. What you can write will always be better than what you have written. That's important, especially for short story writers. Sorry, I don't remember the exact story. Go ahead and try other markets. But if this place that rejected you is someplace you want to get in, keep trying them with new stuff. Good luck with it all, my friend.
Another update... My story made it through the first editorial meeting. My friend said she didn't even have to fight for it. That everyone was in agreement. There was a slight issue or two brought up so the story isn't perfect. I told my friend to tell them I'm really easy for editors to work with and can change and fix anything. I don't know if that message will get passed on or not. But my story is now at the final round. It's kind of cool having someone on the inside to at least give you updates and let you know how the process, at least for this publication, works.
The LITRO ‘thing’ appears on April 4th. My editor pal says they are posh and so...’on-line dick of the day’ feature piece is ‘good enough.’ BBC Radio York airing this Friday - world premiere of ‘Dragons of Kamidogo,’ the tele-narration @300 words... And editor pal liked-liked ‘Crush’ and asked to publish it ‘now’ ...but he’s gone quiet - expecting evening online ‘publication’ to audience of 80 billion. celeb. £0 ... Oh - Litro draft of 2018 is better than the draft draft draft of 2020 - curious, eh.
Good for you, @matwoolf! Isn't it just crazy how it can take years between finishing a story and publishing that same story? Happy to see your talents are being recognized. Post a link or message me a link when it's up. I'm one of your fans, for sure.
The timing is terrible - years & months of being ignored/writing to myself... ...and now with work being so heavy & tragic & serious...sometimes it just feels like shit...if the guys I’m looking after...well, you know the rest.
Thanks K, it is kind of good. I’m still confused how an early draft reads fresher than the tauter, every word exact, later version.. or if I made a mistake...[button-fluff issue]
Two rejections at the end of last week and another on Sunday, all from fresh.ink. These were just reprint submissions, though, so it's not as heavy a blow as three rejections of unpublished stories would be.
...a tipping point with your typical 1000/2000 word piece - where the writer spends multiple afternoons exchanging all, and every def/indef article til her original reads like Frankenstein, the ghastly version of what was once jolly-jape and loose.
Okay, didn't get what you were saying then. To be honest I've done that with paintings myself. Polished and painted, and it shines and shines, and it's absolutely hideous; nothing but bin fodder. And not a few stories have gone that way too. Anyway, never mind; you're published!
I take it that's the UK edition of Litro, as I just looked and they do both US and UK. To be honest I'd never heard of Litro, not that that's a hugely surprising thing for me.
I think this is 'okay.'...ish...I did have different versions, but ended up sticking with draft 2 kind of thing... https://www.openpen.co.uk/fiction-crush/
I think I need to write new stories. The fall lineup of stories I worked so hard on is not doing so well out there. I've really concentrated a handful of short stories. I thought each one of them would get picked up. I've still got most of them out on submission, but I don't have as much faith in these pieces as I once had. And I've been trying everywhere. I will say I do think the work I'm sending out is extremely polished. I spent months on the same few stories pre fell submissions season. I want to make sure my work is like that again, hopefully with better stories and luck unfolding. I am thinking about taking an older story out of hibernation and revising it. I might not even look at the old draft and rewrite it. I'm actually not sure I can even find an old copy. But I want to play with the parts I remember. I thought that was the best thing I had ever written back when I originally wrote it, but I don't think I ever sent it out anywhere. I was in graduate school, and the MFA workshop can be brutal. There is also a difference between writing for a workshop and writing for the world. Although I don't give much thought to either while writing, I do more so in revision. Have any of you come back to a really old story? Anyway, I'm already thinking about next fall and how I can do better. I'll keep up with sending out new submissions, but I'm starting to feel like I need new stories. I have a few things that are sort of done. I'm not in love with any of it. This feels like a problem.
I am not opposed to the belief it could take a good twenty years or so to write a good short story. This art form is maddening.
