Thread: Reading Manuscripts, or Brutality

I've stumbled across the oddly enjoyable responsibility of reading short story and poetry manuscripts (apparently some people despise the task) It feels strange to have the power to say Yes and No to strangers' work, and I've been wondering if I am being too brutal, or if I simply have a short attention span, or if what I am reading just really is... eh.

I for one believe that format, is incredibly important and shows a respect for the reader -- but so much of what I have stumbled across hasn't been in proper format (and it wasn't necessarily specified to use proper manuscript format) I've made an exception with this.

I've even made an exception regarding a typo or two if the piece is really interesting -- even though this stuff should have been read and reread to death by the writer to avoid such little mistakes that can make a big impression on professionalism.

And then there comes content. I come from the (apparently not too frequently visited) school of "First sentence -- may not be the best -- is a really really good sentence". I think the beginnings are important, and I assume that if you don't have the ability to realize that, Hey, this person reading this has -- literally -- hundreds more to get to, I might want to start off with a bang, with something to pique interest. And I've simply rejected pieces because their first paragraph sounds like something from a historical essay even though it's supposed to be creative non-fiction. Oh boy.

I guess my big question is, for those of you who have acted as a reader how much "should" I read before I choose to throw something in the reject pile?

And -- don't think that I am being too too brutal. Out of dozens upon dozens, I have found three or four that really made me say "I wish I had written that" -- and so, I know that there are definitely some people doing something right -- and therefore I am getting the impression many people are doing something very wrong... and must not even be considering the possibility of this fact.

I've stumbled across the oddly enjoyable responsibility of reading short story and poetry manuscripts
sounds like something from a historical essay even though it's supposed to be creative non-fiction.

Those two lines seem contradictory

I know that there is (are) definitely some people doing something right -- and therefore I am getting the impression many people are getting something very wrong... and must not even be considering the possibility of this fact.

awkward construction, I would suggest
I know that some people are doing something right -- therefore I get the impression many people are doing (consistency)something very wrong... and not even be considering this possibility.

It sounds interesting though, who are you doing it for?

How long are the submissions? When I read poetry for Oddville, I obviously read the whole thing. I've never read fiction for Oddville. I've read both for another magazine. But that was short stories, so again, I was able to read them all without much trouble.

I'd say read as much as you need to to decide whether it's worth it. When soomeone reads something, they read until they don't feel reading more is worth it. If the writer can't make the whole story interesting, that's their problem.

I've had to read a lot of fiction and poetry and I don't think you're being too brutal at all. If something doesn't hold your interest, then it needs more work. If it doesn't fit with the publication you're reading it for, then it needs to be submitted elsewhere.

That said, however, I have let several pieces "pass" that had merit but weren't necessarily my taste, because I felt other people could enjoy them. Also, I know typos are annoying but I do read everything of mine to death and I still find one or two at late stages sometimes!

Do you have the power to suggest edits after acceptance? If so, maybe you can overlook lackluster first sentences and things like that, if those are all that's keeping them from getting through.

Originally Posted by Olly Buckle

Those two lines seem contradictory

awkward construction, I would suggest
I know that some people are doing something right -- therefore I get the impression many people are doing (consistency)something very wrong... and not even be considering this possibility.

It sounds interesting though, who are you doing it for?

Thanks for pointing these spots out --

I can't really say who I am reading for other than an overworked friend reading at a decently recognized journal that receives submissions by mail from all across the US.

Most of the short story submissions are between two and five thousand words, and with the poetry, generally three poems.

I can make a note of what I think of the pieces -- but really, it ends up being up to the editor.

Maybe someone here can help me out with this observation I've been grappling with: People that write, say, a short story, in their letter say they have 'been published here and here' are going to 'be published here' and hold 'a phd in (insert something not having to do with writing)' -- and then, I read their work and -- surprise -- it's... so so.

I've been trying to maintain decent expectations with everything I read, because I like doing it, but I'm getting the feeling these people are not having their work critiqued by anyone or are not doing enough reading/studying of writing...

There are all sorts of people submitting to writing venues. Most of them are not good, and many are terrible. A few are good. Degrees mean nothing, even if they are in writing. The only thing previous publications are good for is saying "Maybe this just isn't your genre." But for shorts where it takes maybe 10 minutes at most to read, you can really just ignore them.

Originally Posted by Ilasir Maroa

There are all sorts of people submitting to writing venues. Most of them are not good, and many are terrible. A few are good. Degrees mean nothing, even if they are in writing. The only thing previous publications are good for is saying "Maybe this just isn't your genre." But for shorts where it takes maybe 10 minutes at most to read, you can really just ignore them.

Yes -- I guess it boils down to, how do I want my work to be treated? I would love for it to be carefully considered with my feelings about it and how close it is to me in mind. I know this is not going to happen. So, I expect an editor to be as mean as possible -- and I write accordingly. But, hey, that's just me... maybe I'm just a 'people pleaser'. Or is it... 'trying to be a better writer'?

Originally Posted by Eiji Tunsinagi

I've been trying to maintain decent expectations with everything I read, because I like doing it, but I'm getting the feeling these people are not having their work critiqued by anyone or are not doing enough reading/studying of writing...

I sympathize. After reading five hundred manuscripts of crap, everything begins to look like crap. Approaching each one on its own terms can get to be a real challenge.