Don't let this put you off though, as I am sure you will get through next time. As Brian said, it might be it just needed a small rewrite or tweak to make the grade.
Keep your head up Lauren and good luck with the writing.
Thanks, T-Dogz, I appreciate it. Even when I'm down about writing, I can't stop writing. So maybe it's a blessing and a curse?
I've also thought of just inviting forum members to submit next time. You've probably all actually read the magazine, right? I would say 90% of the submissions this time were from people who clearly hadn't read a single issue and had no idea what we publish.
Brian
Yes, I buy it whenever I see it. I should just subscribe because it's hard to find in stores.
I actually learned about CD in my MFA program, someone mentioned CD as a magazine they respect. This led me to read some issues as I was the main proponent of genre and hadn't read an issue yet.
I've also thought of just inviting forum members to submit next time. You've probably all actually read the magazine, right? I would say 90% of the submissions this time were from people who clearly hadn't read a single issue and had no idea what we publish.
Brian
I was a long-time CD subscriber. Now I pick it up at my local brick-and-mortar (when I can). It was also the first magazine I subbed to way back in January 2000.
Last edited by truantoranje; 10-19-2013, 06:50 PM.
I've also thought of just inviting forum members to submit next time. You've probably all actually read the magazine, right? I would say 90% of the submissions this time were from people who clearly hadn't read a single issue and had no idea what we publish.
Don't let this put you off though, as I am sure you will get through next time. As Brian said, it might be it just needed a small rewrite or tweak to make the grade.
Keep your head up Lauren and good luck with the writing.
Me too. I was honestly surprised that those of us in the final pile also got form rejections.
Ditto, Michael. I know how busy the staff is, so I totally understand, but I couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. C'est la vie though, right? Shall we pledge to continue writing words that scrape from the concrete below?
Me too. I was honestly surprised that those of us in the final pile also got form rejections.
Reasons these last stories might be rejected:
* Too similar to something else we've already bought.
* Too similar to something else we've read recently.
* Just doesn't quite push us across the line enough for us to say, "Yes! Must. Buy. This!" No specific reason in particular. Could be extremely well-written, but we just don't pull the trigger.
* Although you tackled a trope or cliché with panache, at the end of the day a vampire/zombie/werewolf/serial killer story has to be one of the best in those categories we've read in a long time to make the cut.
In most cases, we have no specific notes to help you improve the story at this stage. If your story could make the cut with a rewrite or a tweak, we're contacting you individually to see if you're interested in discussing our suggestions.
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