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Phase II Rejection Update

October 13, 2008 in rejection, short fiction, short fiction rejections, short fiction submissions, writing | Permalink

OY! A non-encouraging rejection from a major house, the second rejection I’ve gotten from them. I think I’m just shooting a little too high maybe. Maybe I’m not established enough, maybe I’m not talented enough, maybe my style is not refined enough, maybe the things I write about are not epic enough…but I think I’m not going to submit to this major magazine again until I have some more credits to my name. I suppose you can’t just come running out of the gate aiming for the gold medal or the pulitzer or whatever…well maybe some people can, but not me.

I’m usually pretty good at letting these roll off me, but this one came at an inconvenient time…a time when my defenses were low…and so it seemed to hurt a little bit extra.

I’ve got one more piece out there in this rejection phase…and am still sitting on half a dozen, four of which are almost ready and two of which are not even close but are showing potential…

It’s funny, this magazine that just rejected me, in their most recent issue they had the most amazing short fiction piece I’ve probably ever read – really powerful – the kind of piece that makes you wish you’d written it, and short of that, the kind of piece that makes you wish you had the money to option things, and also the kind of piece that makes you wonder why you think you can compete. But they also had in the same issue a piece that I found to be totally pedestrian. Totally not better than what I have submitted to them in the past (certainly not this time around) so it’s frustrating. I suspect it will always be frustrating…successful or not…though I’d prefer to go with successful…

Updated Stats: 0 for 4 in Phase II with one submission still out there being considered and about six still prepping for submission (soon?).

Phase II Rejection Update

September 30, 2008 in rejection, short fiction, short fiction rejections, writing | 3 comments

Yup. Another one. Like I always say, painful little groups, rejections LOVE to come in painful little groups. This one was from my beloved McSweeney’s (who I’m now 0 for 2 with – not including an award I submitted for and did not win, as expected). This rejection is particularly unfortunate though because this piece is particularly odd and I’m not sure where else it could find a home…maybe Tin House? We’ll see.

Updated Stats: 0 for 3 in Phase II, with two more pieces still out there being considered and between four and six being prepped for submission.

Phase II Rejection Update

September 22, 2008 in rejection, short fiction, short fiction rejections, short fiction submissions, writing | Permalink

Hmmm. Woke up today to a rejection email on my blackberry. Not going to go down as one of my favorite ways to wake up. It’s certainly not as good as Paul’s wake up to acceptance. I like this piece that just got rejected, I think it’s pretty strong, for the first time I was actually surprised about a rejection (e.g. the piece was strong and the publication seemed right for it and not TOO respectable and difficult to get in to).

Anyway, rejection rejection rejection…see they always come in painful little clumps. I guess I should expect a few more this month. I’ve got three more piece out there (one WAY overdue from McSweeney’s) awaiting rejection, and a handful of stories – between four and six that should go out for submission in the next month. I’m going to try to stay focused on that…

Phase II Rejection Update…

September 16, 2008 in mcsweeney's, short fiction rejections, short fiction submissions, writing | Permalink

Ah, rejection, how I love thee…wait, that’s not right.

I got my official rejection from McSweeney’s yesterday for their Amanda Davis Highwire Fiction Award. It was a longshot anyway, but I’m still disappointed.

That leaves four short fiction submissions still out there for consideration, including one very overdue one to McSweeney’s Quarterly Concern. With rejections having a nasty habit of coming in little painful groups I’ll be steeling myself up…

Writing Submissions Phase II

August 27, 2008 in cartoons, query letters, short fiction, short fiction submissions, writing | Permalink

So I’ve submitted a “Phase II” round of short fiction submissions, sad that at 32 I’m only in Phase II, but what can you do? Nothing that’s what. A few more contests and publications I’m interested in open up for submissions in September and so I’ll be adding a few to the pile, but in the meantime cross your fingers for all my precious little short fiction babies out there in the big bad world…

There are four submissions currently out, two that were submitted in May and two submitted in August. There are another two to four that will go out for submission in September. Eight would be a good ratio – if I can get to eight we’ll be looking good. And then, depending on how long it takes me to finish a decent polish on my novel redraft and how long it takes my excellent readers to read and comment, and how long it takes me to revise (that’s a lot of “how longs”) I hope sometime in early winter to begin seriously re-querying agents for my novel. And so we will then be able to begin the sad and desperate ‘Query Letter Tracking Posts’ again…

Actually, technically I still have one agent that requested a full that never got back to me…maybe I should email them…hmmm…

#201 ~ Rabid Lamb Comics

August 26, 2008 in cartoons, comic of the day, comics, writing | 6 comments

Ah, the sleep talking Adam returns. Good times. I really am not complaining about this, because it is one of the genuinely funny things going on in my life these days (sad, but true). So talk on Adam, talk on you crazy sleeptalker.

As for Rabid Lamb this week, I will continue posting all week, but there may not be comics until next week. I’ve put myself under major re-write pressure now through September 1st and while it is unlikely I can actually finish, I have made some serious progress in the last four days and I feel I owe it to myself to really focus on that.

But have no fear, comics will resume shortly in all their non glory…

#195 ~ Rabid Lamb Comics

August 18, 2008 in cartoons, comic of the day, comics, entertainment, movies, writing | 3 comments

I promise you there is a punchline in your future (specifically your future of tomorrow).

Hope everyone had a great weekend. Mine was surprisingly productive/enjoyable as in I got some writing done, submitted a new piece to a new journal I haven’t tried before, did some critiques for group on Sunday, actually attended group on Sunday, did five comics (shocking! this hasn’t happened in months – maybe I’m getting back on track!) and spent a nice day with Adam eating sandwiches in a park-like setting and seeing two movies (Frozen River and Brideshead Revisited – more on both of those later) as well as had a nice little sushi dinner with him on Sunday.

All in all, if I’d managed to get in more exercise it would have been a pretty healthy and balanced weekend. Still too much time sitting on my ass though…I need new hobbies…reading, writing, and drawing/art/comics are just making me fatter and fatter and fatter…bastards.

Guess what I still didn’t manage to do though…amongst all that other good work and “success” – I still managed to not write ONE SINGLE WORD for my novel rewrite.

Go me! I am the king of procrastination!

#194 ~ Rabid Lamb Comics

August 15, 2008 in cartoons, comic of the day, comics, writing | 3 comments

Yeah, I have no excuses really. It’s been a rough month…but every month seems like that for me and writing. I’ve done better this month in the sense that the huge deadline looming has forced me to get several short fiction pieces off my plate and submitted or ready for submission to clear the way for the novel rewrite, but as for actual words written for the novel – not. a. single. one. Yay me!

Have a good weekend everyone…anything exciting on the agenda? I have one thing on mine, I bet you can guess what it is…

#165 ~ Rabid Lamb Comics – Guest Starring ‘The Tragic Penis-Man’…NSFW?

June 19, 2008 in boyfriends, cartoons, comic of the day, comics, sex, the tragic penis-man, writing | 2 comments

I guess I was able to squeeze one more out…let’s see if we can make it though the to the end of the week…one more day. I like the symmetry of a full week of ‘The Tragic Penis-Man’…I think I can, I think I can…

I read the novel this week of a girl (woman) in my writing group – and it was REALLY good. Her characters were so well drawn…they felt so real…I was left feeling that my novel characters are really very one-dimensional in comparison.

It was both inspiring and daunting to read her book. The subject matter of her book is challenging and intense and so it may take her awhile to find the right publisher/agent, but I have no doubt that her book will eventually get published. It really was wonderful.

As for my novel. I believe I’ve finally committed to doing a MASSIVE re-write. Usually stuff just comes out of me pretty much how it’s going to be in the end, I mean I tweak and revise and fuss, but I’m not good (I hope mostly because I haven’t tried) at full re-writes. I think a certain (small) amount of talent comes out of me naturally, but I seem to lack the skills and talent to take my work to the next level – so this will be a huge challenge – but I think it’s a necessary one if I ever want to see this book (or any other work?) published.

So wish me luck. My deadline is September 1st (2008). Which considering it’s a major re-write of the existing 250 pages, and the addition of probably 300 to 400 more pages, is daunting to say the least. Oy. This means I’ll likely be shelving my hunt for agents this summer, and reopening that nasty can of worms in the fall. It doens’t however mean a break from short fiction submissions. I’ve got to re-submit a whole stack of stuff…so I can get my rejection numbers up really high…

Query Update…

June 16, 2008 in agents, publishing, query letters, rejection, writing | 3 comments

Another rejection. Sigh. These things seem to come in groups, so I’m steeling myself for a few more.

This was an official rejection from the smallish literary agency that had a partial of my book (since January). I was optimistic (until recently) on this one because they’re a small house that seemed to have a lot in common with me, and my work, but alas it is not to be. For the record the rejection was quite nice, though it is likely their form rejection as it doesn’t even have “Dear Ms. Thompson” on it. It’s nice that they have a “nice” form rejection, but after two personal emails to me and keeping my 50 page partial for almost five months it would have been nice to get something at least SLIGHTLY personalized.

Oh well, onto the next. Here’s the summary for those keeping track.

#1. Partial Requested and Rejected. Took about seven weeks from receipt of partial. Door left open to submit future work.

#2. Never heard back on regular mail Query. Over six months ago, considered Rejected.

#3. Never heard back on email Query. Almost six months ago, considered Rejected.

#4. Partial Requested and Rejected. Took five months from receipt of partial.

#5. Full Requested. Full Sent. Manuscript sent four months ago. Emailed three weeks ago as follow up, no response as yet.

#6. No response to email query. Almost five months out, considered a Rejection at this point.

#7. Rejection to regular mail query from huge agency, about a ten week turnaround.

#8. Rejected Query, about a 30 hour turnaround.

So, five rejected queries; two rejected partials; one requested full. And no more queries living in oblivion. Time to slam my nose into the grindstone again it seems. Oy.

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