60-day rejection from Blue Earth 30-day rejection from Planet Scumm 74-day reaction from Litmag Still waiting on a response for a shortlisted piece in a contest, which is more nerve-racking than the typical wait since I was given a timeline that will elapse soon. Usually rejections/acceptances feel like they just arrive as they please. This one feels like it’s lurking.
I thought this piece might be appreciated by my fellow rejectees: https://electricliterature.com/rejection-erasure-poems-by-rl-maizes/
A 19 day form rejection from Augur. No surprise. The story I sent wasn't really their style, but it was all I had ready for the last submission window.
Was that the joyful themed one? I definitely didn’t have anything prepared and wasn’t even sure how to approach the theme.
No, the general submission window. I didn't have anything joyful ready, either, and I didn't feel like rushing something new for it. I just sent a story that was already out at some of the few sff places that take simultaneous subs.
23-day form rejection from TexArcana. The fact this story has already been published takes away a bit of the sting, but it’s still disappointing.
queried 10 places. 2 rejections 1 implied rejection (been over 80 days and if they don't reply in 2-4 weeks, its a "no") 7 still pending responses. (i have 7 more on my wishlist to query before i hit my 2nd tier ) at least i stopped having near panic attacks before and after submissions, so i guess thats a plus
having tiers for submissions is something I really need to do for my next project, how did you select them for each?
Agencies i've gotten familiar with (i order books for my library and i especially pay attention to the SF/F books. A lot seem to have agencies in common). Agents or agencies of my favorite books And agents that have a lot of clients that i recognize (ill just scroll through their client list looking for familiar books). My lower tier are agents with not as many clients that i recognize, Agents/agencies that SOUND interesting, and other agents from the same agencies in tier 1 (i typically pick 2 agents in an agency... One for tier 1 and another for tier 2). Honestly, i wing it. The above was just something that made the most sense to me
Just curious—how many of the folks on here have writing MFAs? Also, do you all have dedicated readers? I know there is a whole debate surrounding MFAs, but mostly I’m curious about how you all approach submitting. I don’t have an MFA and I don’t always share work before submitting. I do edit extensively and I believe an outside reader can offer benefits, but for a few reasons I’m often on my own. This topic came up recently when I workshopped with a new acquaintance who does have an MFA. Basically just wondering how I might match up with this small sample here.
I dont have an MFA but i started the courses for it. I would have had a Certificate in Writing Popular Fiction with the option tyo continue on yo an MFA. It was just too much of a course load for me to handle as i would have been a double major with a minor, and athletics. But i took Writing Popular Fiction that went through all genres, and Horror &Suspense, which focused on.... Horror and suspense. Im been mulling over the pros and cons of one, too.... I tell myself there are plenty of published authors without one. But then i tell ask myself does having one make it more likely to get published? Meh..... The mulling continues
I took a lot of writing courses—including a workshop—as an undergrad, but so far I haven’t pursued any graduate studies. I did take the GREs, which was a good reminder that my math skills are subpar. For context, I graduated in 2019 and I am in my 30s. In any event, the conversation with the MFA acquaintance got me thinking about the more communal critique approach of a workshop vs flying solo. I don’t think one is better than the other or anything. Different people benefit from different approaches to learning, so to speak, although I would bet that a workshop approach, whether with an MFA program or not, would be a benefit to most people.
I'm pretty much completely self-taught. I was mostly a math & science nerd growing up, and while I loved reading, I never thought much about writing until my late thirties. I took a few lit classes back in college (my degree was in CS), but no writing ones, so my education has come from craft books like Stephen King's "On Writing" and just practice, practice, practice. I do think that sharing one's work with others is extremely important for a developing writer. My biggest growth spurts have come when I asked friends to read something and realized that I had definitely not gotten what was in my head onto the page. They've helped me find my blind spots so that I can address them. Even if you're confident and experienced, I think it's good to have at least one person that you trust read your work before you send it out into the world. I'm fortunate to have found one really good reader, an old friend from college. We have a good system: I send him stories for critique, and he sends me demos of his songs. Like me, he's a techie with no writing background, but he's an avid reader who can tell me what he enjoys and what confuses or irritates him, which is invaluable. Plus, we're very different people with very different tastes, so I get a completely different perspective on my work. I would love to do an MFA, both to improve my skills and for the fun of it, but even if I could get accepted to a good one, I'd struggle to justify the expense. Maybe if my powerball numbers come up. Instead, I just applied to my first real writing workshop, which I hope will be both educational and fun, as well as a good way to meet other local writers. I'd prefer it if it was going to be in person rather than Zoom-based, but beggars and choosers and all that. *shrug*
I graduated in 1990 in an unrelated field and have just attended one beginner's course in creative writing, one evening per week for 12 weeks in 2018. I like the idea of an MFA or similar but also couldn't justify the expense. What attracts me is the energy that can come from communal critique. This site is the closest I get to it but, apparently, the pandemic will be finished in October and the local writers' group might start to meet again. Writing is. for me, a solitary experience and that's how I like it. I'm not looking for a formula for "successful" writing, however that might be measured. If I had such a formula, I'd probably screw it up or sabotage in some way. I'd prefer to write my stories badly than someone else's well. Thankfully, those aren't the only options. The bounce from diverse feedback can be energising, the nothingness from isolation can do the opposite. I've no idea if MFA would make someone more likely to be published. Probably wouldn't hurt and there's likely modules on how to submit, links to publishing houses or whatever. I think the more interesting conversations happen with two categories of people, not mutually exclusive. The first is people who are more knowledgeable, the second people who disagree with your point of view. I expect the MFA would give close access to both, opportunities for dialogue, argument, defence of positions, all of which can improve skills in writing.
I don't have an MFA and really don't regret not getting one. I do sometimes wonder if getting one would have helped me get over my beginner's pitfalls faster, but I've never enjoyed talking about writing for long periods. (Once in a while is fine and even refreshing). Even a writing conference makes me feel edgy after a week. I just want to lock myself in a room and write, not talk about it. I do think it comes down to personality. I have friends who loved their MFA programs and who go to conferences every summer. I think I'd go crazy with that lifestyle. I do love how, especially lately, it is possible to sign up for master classes online. I like dipping in, getting some feedback on a story or learning from an experienced writer, and then going on my way. I read an interesting article recently from a writer who hated the workshop model but learned a lot by spending her money instead on developmental editors. When my novel is closer to finished, I might go that route. https://lithub.com/a-love-letter-to-developmental-editors/
A 60-day rejection that seems to straddle the line between high-tier form and personal. From what I can tell, they just didn’t have enough slots for all the stories they would’ve liked to accept. On one hand, the praise and encouragement to submit to future calls in encouraging. On the other, it’s always tough to come so close and still fall short.
That was interesting; thanks for sharing it. I've noticed that quite a few publications have added a paid feedback option to their submission systems, and I've debated whether it would be worth springing for. After reading that article, I might give it a try.
It is hard because there are so many good writers. The competition for attention from publishers is fierce. Albert Einstein, a genius, is credited with telling us "Insanity is doing the same thing, over and over, and expecting different results." I have no idea if he said it or not, but the sentiment might match, in part, what you do. That, or you're a masochist. OK, this paragraph is written in jest, but there might be a kernel of corn in it as well as an indication that current methods should be put aside and something different tried. Maybe finding a different approach would garner different results. Find an agent to do the grunt work while you concentrate on writing. An agent should be able to tell you what, if anything, needs to be done to improve the quality of the work as well as find publishers who might be interested in your pieces.
Another query rejection. I also just realized that i'd accidentally submitted to 2 agents at the same agency (submitted to one before i started using querytracker and failed to document that information on there). Ugh.... I see 2 more rejections in my very near future
