Yeah, I'm late. Had caught on unfortunate case of summertime cold, and have been stuffing tissues up my nose for the past few days. Cold medicine doesn't seem to work, but then again, it's those gel tablets, and I have to wonder if those are even digestible.
Anyway... What were August's stats?
Stories written: 2 (1,400 weird tea story and a last minute flash piece)
Stories submitted: 26 (including resubs)
Stories accepted: 2
Stories rejected: 28
I knew August was going to be a rejection-heavy month, all the editors coming from their holiday, I guess. I had gotten quite a few personal rejections, and... geez. I'm embarrassed on behalf of these editors and/or their slushreaders. These personal rejections revealed a complete lack of reading comprehension--you know, that skill you learned back in the 3rd grade for book reports. If these rejections were summaries of how well the editor/slushie understood the material, then they would've flunked. Big time.
I don't write complicated stories, steeped in symbolism and metaphor. I'd say they're pretty straight-forward. So it's mind-boggling that editor/slushie's could get them so wrong. Like bang your head against the wall till it leaves a bloody spot wrong.
Anyone else scared for the state of literacy?
It's not enough just to read. You have to consume the material, chew it several times, ponder about what you just chewed, and spit it back out. It's not a difficult process, and should come automatic while you're reading, but obviously very few do it. It's more like they take a lick of the story, and decide if it tastes funny or not.
On the positive side, had some acceptances--one of which is already up at Indian SF. I know the concept behind Birth of a Witch has been done many, many times before--two separate editors told me so--but, this was the 3rd story I had written, and I felt it had some merit, even if the material wasn't new. As they say: there are no new stories, just new ways to execute them.
Also published was Great Find (4th story down) over at Perihelion. Kind of annoying that there isn't a direct link, but hopefully you don't mind scrolling.
Enjoy!--and good luck with writing, avoiding the cold/flu/whatever malady the news has hyped up this year.
Enjoyed your story about the witch. It drew me in and kept me engaged. Unable to put a comment on the website so I am putting it here.
ReplyDeleteRohini Gupta
Thanks for stopping by! Glad you enjoyed it.
Delete“What! Are you replacing me?” -- Thoroughly enjoyed Elligibob's tale; I see a future with him and his unlucky AI encounters. The crafty witch story was good, too; you and Deborah are making me think I should sub some stuff internationally (besides the usual US, UK, AUS, and CA markets).
ReplyDeleteAugust rejections? Maybe one or two. I'm seriously starting to wonder if my email is broken...
Actually, I didn't have any plans to continue Elligibob's misadventures. The story just came about as a satire piece to all those eeeevil AI stories. Maybe, for once, the AI isn't evil; just lazy or friendly.
DeleteI'd say giving international markets are worth a shot, if the story has been virtually rejected from all the typical markets. I say that, since most of those international markets don't pay, or pay very little.