Truth-Teller

And of those rejection slips, how many were positive?

Could share what Mr. Editor wrote? [-o<

How many rejection slips must you get, before you think about quitting?

Lost in Some Story

I've got a drawer full. The only personal comment I got was a little handwritten note saying that while the piece was well written, it wasn't for that particular publication. Most are just form letters that say something along the lines of "Thank you. We're sorry...due to a limited number of...blah blah blah."

I'm sending something else out tomorrow so I can add to my collection.

Lost

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"The greater part of what my neighbors call good I believe in my soul to be bad, and if I repent of anything, it is very likely to be my good behavior."
Henry David Thoreau

adrianhayter

In ten months of writing, I've submitted twenty-three pieces and received twenty-one rejections. That's an average way above my dating success.

Unless you've been in the same publication before, an editor will seldom send a personal note .

And now a question for you: What difference does it make?

Writing is a hobby for 98% of the folks here. And the remaining two percent have enough sense to know the odds. If they bust their balls, maybe they'll end up writing merchandise descriptions for pet catalogs.

I'm a member of a University writing workshop. (Before you ask, I serve the roll of the village idiot) Non of those people are delusional. They write because they love the written word.



Adrian

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My Blog

...and still, two years later, he continues to write aimlessly with no apparent purpose in mind.

Erik Buchanan

Doesn't matter how many rejection slips you get. Keep writing if you want to write, quit if you want to quit. Startwriting on a different platform for a while if you wish (blog or something) to get your style down.

But only quit because you are tired of it, not because you aren't getting published. Otherwise, you are letting yourself down.

When I was sending out Small Magics, half the publishers I sent to didn't even bother sending me a rejection letter. I kept going, got lucky, got published.

It happens, so don't quit.

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Malone

I have zero rejections.

Non Serviam

None of my rejection slips were positive. I got form letters until accepted.

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Quote:

Originally Posted by Olly Buckle The ways of the world are twisty and unknowable, the only way to be sure you are not caught out in something you regret is not to do things you may regret.

WriterDude

Everything I have ever written was rejected at least once, but I don't really care. If someone reject it, I just send it to someone else. If they reject it because they think it needs some changes, I simply change it and send it it again.

As for rejection letters, I wrote a fantasy novel with humanoid ducks as the main characters. The letter I got said, and I quote: "I smell a fried duck, and that's not because there's a mongolian restaurant down the street." Anyone better?

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ClancyBoy

Me either! Ask me why!

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"Mother Hitton's Littul Kittons wait for you down there. Little pets they are, little little little pets. Cute little things, they say. Don't you believe it. No man ever saw them and walked away alive. You won't either. That's the final dash, flash. That's the utter clobber, cobber." --Cordwainer Smith, Norstrillia.

Pete_C

Go on then, why?

Malone

I had two short stories published in our university paper that the editors heard of through word of mouth from people in my writing courses, and one story that won a writing competition and netted me 1,000 bucks that my Mystery Writing proffessor submitted against my wishes and didn't inform me of until I won.
Obviously, I've never submitted anything myself. I was making a bad joke before.

Shavixmir

Obviously he's never sent anything...

Neither have I. I looked into it whilst I was residing in a puddle of shit and self pity in Manchester, but it all seemed to be too much hassle.

If anyone likes what I write enough to be bothered going through all that, they're welcome to do so. They can most of the money too, if they want it.


EDIT: Yeah, and if I keep forgetting "haves'" all over the place...

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In Vino Veritas

Pete_C

I once got a rejection slip that was a traditional form reply, but someone had added by hand: "At first I feared this was a bad joke, but now I am worried that you are an evil person. I will pray for you."

I thought that was quite nice.

Malone

Pete, that's awesome. That might just be more validation than an acceptance.

Truth-Teller

University Papers don't count.

Malone

Why not? Just out of curiousity...