Rejection slips. Is there anything worse than those humbling, preprinted letters, too light to trick you into thinking your SASE might contain an acceptance, too impersonal to tell you why? Rejection slips are the writer's gremlin, the nagging suggestion that we don't measure up. What can we do about them? How can we live with them? How do we make them stop? Unfortunately, … [Read more...]
Seven Deadly Sins of Fiction Writing
In addition to the five fatal mistakes cited here, several editors had their own pet peeves to share. Here are seven other problems that can speed your story to the rejection pile: Preachiness. "Stories that present an obvious moral, without nuances, subtlety, or complexity, are the first to hit the [reject] pile," says Skylar Burris of Ancient Paths. Cliches. "I did, … [Read more...]
Hallelujah Rejection!
My SASE was the only piece of mail in my post office box. I figured I already knew what it said, but I opened it anyway. "Thanks for letting me see this story, but it just isn’t right for me at this time. Please try me again with your next story.” On stationery from The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. Signed with a big, blue “K" above the name Kristine Katherine … [Read more...]
Five Fiction Mistakes that Spell Rejection
Ask most fiction editors how to avoid rejection, and you'll hear the same thing: Read the guidelines. Review the publication. Don't send a science fiction story to a literary magazine, and vice versa. Don't send a 10,000-word manuscript to a magazine that never publishes anything longer than 5,000 words. Spell check. Proofread. Check your grammar. Format your manuscript … [Read more...]
The First Five Pages: A Writer’s Guide To Staying Out of the Rejection Pile
Rejected again? It happens to all writers, even those with many publishing credits. Literary agents and editors receive and reject hundreds or even thousands of manuscripts each month. While it's the job of these publishing professionals to be discriminating, the writer's job is to produce a manuscript that immediately stands out from the competition. And those outstanding … [Read more...]
Seven Mistakes That Will Get Your Novel Rejected
As a writing coach and book editor, I've seen too many novelists, with the very first line they write, destroy their chances of ever getting published. A good novel will grab the reader's attention with its first words, create characters the reader wants to know, create a situation the character must resolve, create suspense, create rising tension, and create a powerful … [Read more...]
Submission Does Not Mean Surrender
Dear Writer, thank you for your submission. We’re sorry to say... Dear Writer, thank you for your submission. We’re sorry to say... Dear Writer, thank you for your submission. We’re sorry to say... I’ve seriously considered changing my name to 'Writer.' A personalized letter is so much more promising. And for a while I titled every work I wrote, “Your Submission,” if … [Read more...]