A Quick Post

I see I have 12 followers now. Well, I don't want to stop here. I want to keep getting more and more and more and more, but for now, I just want to get up to 30 so I can reveal a little surprise for everyone following this blog. More than 30 would be great, too, because that would mean a greater chance of participation in this prize. So, help me promote my blog and get 18 more followers.

The countdown begins...

Accepting Rejection

There are probably tons of agent and editor blogs out there about rejection and how to deal with it, but I don't think it hurts for me to write one about accepting rejection and moving on.

Everyone reading this blog should know that everyone gets rejected at some point in his or her life. I don't think I need to list any examples of great writers who have been rejected tons of times before going into print. Also, just because someone rejects you and you get accepted by someone else doesn't make the former person an idiot, okay? Everyone has different tastes in everything. Personally, I go for both a great story and beautiful writing. I want both, I crave both. I don't want a great story with decent writing. I also go for stories that have a deeper meaning beyond the surface. So, when and if we start accepting fiction bite contributions and your story doesn't have anything beyond the surface, it'll likely be a rejection from me. Of course, you've got two other editors to go through, so don't sweat it. And yes, you can write something that is accessible to everyone, but still has a deeper meaning. Wintergirls, anyone?

You've been slaving away at your story for months, or your novel for years, or even a flash fiction for weeks. It's your baby, your prize, your child. Like a child, you don't want to hear it criticized. You want to know that you've been a wonderful parent and raised it well. Well, I believe any experienced parent will tell you there is no such thing as a perfect mother or father. Once kids reach a certain age, parents have little influence. It's the same with your story. Once you've edited it to death, you have little influence on what happens to it thereafter. The best thing you can do is submit that baby and wait. And wait. And wait. Oh! Inbox! Aw...a rejection.

How do you deal with that? Realize that's one rejection. There are hundreds of agents and magazines and what not for you to submit to. Each one has unique tastes; thus, not all of them are going to like what you've written. And just because you've been rejected does not mean your story was bad or poorly written. Sometimes it just may mean the magazine couldn't fit you, you submitted at the wrong time, caught an editor on a bad day, or just submitted your Gothic story to a magazine that only accepts stories about ducks (please don't be a moron and do this).

I've been rejected plenty of times. Okay, I'll admit the short story I got published last year was accepted on the first try. I attribute that to half luck and half skill. The first magazine I sent to just so happened to like the oddness of it. And when I became a slush pile reader for that magazine, I discovered that one of the editors actually DID NOT like my story. The other editors, however, luckily did. So you can see what a close call accepting a story for a magazine can be.

There's a flash fiction I'm currently subbing right now. It's been rejected by every magazine I've sent out to on the first round. But you know what? Each rejection I've received doesn't miff me one bit, because I realize there are tons of other magazines out there, and I know one of them is going to want it. Plus, several of my rejections have been personal, mostly saying it was a well-written piece, but wasn't the right fit. Another rejection letter also said they were so close to publishing my piece, but I suppose it was a tight choice between my story and another. Rejection letters like that should actually encourage you to keep submitting. I know it did for me, and it boosted my confidence as a writer. I know I belong in the big leagues now. All the magazines I've been currently submitting to have a 2% acceptance rate.

So you say you're not getting personal rejection letters? There are a number of reasons for this: the magazine just doesn't have time to do all that, or maybe your piece isn't that good, or whatever. If I received impersonal rejections on my first round, I'd consider giving that story a second look. Send it out to beta readers and have others critique it like crazy for you. But I wouldn't bring myself to that point. For me, I have others critique it to death until I know it can't be critiqued anymore before I send things out.

Believe me, the first rejection I ever received did sting a little, but I wasn't depressed. I also wasn't bitchy because I had done my research to death about the publishing industry ahead of time to know that rejection was inevitable. I ended up scrapping that first story, but it didn't hurt me at all to do that.

While you're submitting query letters, novels, short stories, whatever, you absolutely need to be working on other things. Because I do have other things to work on, I often forget I have stories out on sub, and the only reason I remember is when I either open up my excel document that keeps track of all the things I submit to, or I get a rejection letter, or some form of newsletter from the magazine I've submitted to. Do this, and I can guarantee you getting a rejection letter is not going to kill you.

Various Writerly Activities

She's excited.












Photo by Moi

There are various things going on in the writerly world that are awesome and fun. For one thing, check this out: Steena and Stina's OMG Contest

Also, Key Publication's Network, a new publishing company, is adding more novels to their repertoire. Check out the soon-to-be released: Key Publications Network

Although Sorean's issues are undergoing maintenance, you can still contribute art and writing: Sorean: A Gothic Magazine

The Oddville Press is always looking for submissions as well. Check us out here:

The Oddville Press

YA Highway is giving out an advanced reader copy of The Duff by Kody Keplinger. Here:

The Duff

The Facebook fanpage for Sorean hasn't been that active lately, but I'm going to try and start it up again, so fan us here:
Sorean Fanpage

Lastly, when I get enough followers (30's a good number, right?), I will do a first five pages critique. I'll tell you what I like and what I don't like. Rest assured, every writer will hear a little of both sides. One side may have more comments than another; regardless, don't be offended if the negative has more comments than the positive. Really, I am just here to help, not destroy. Hopefully I'll be putting up a Vlog soon to blab about who I really am and how I stumbled upon Sorean and The Oddville Press, both amazing magazines with sweet potential.

The Importance of Proofreading

Before I truly begin, I want to clarify that I'm an editor of two different things. The Oddville Press offers me the opportunity to edit pieces that are close to perfect, meaning they generally require light editing. Sorean Magazine is staffed, so if a journalist hands me a piece that needs to be re-written, I have to go at it like a college professor advising a student on how to make something better. And just because I ask a staff member to re-write something does not mean he or she is a bad writer. I used to write for The Xtreme section where the editor told me that she's had occasions where she sent in pieces to her editor, who later told her that piece needed to be re-done. I also help to edit the fiction pieces, which are probably my favorite since I aspire to be a novel editor--that, and I am a passionate fiction writer.

In any case, what I'm about to talk about not only applies to people who are writers on magazines with staffs, but to all of us.


Regardless of how many people have beta read your stuff, you yourself need to proofread before sending your writing off to anyone to be read--beta reader, editor, it doesn't matter. You would be amazed at what a good proofread could do. A good proofread can take care of a lot of problems and make your beta reader's (or editor's or agent's) life a lot easier. They can then concentrate on what they need to be concentrating on, and that is the soul of your story or article. They shouldn't have to drown in a sea of typos or blatant grammar errors.

Let me stress that editors are not here to write your things for you. We are here to aid in the process of writing and make suggestions. That is all. We do not expect you to be flawless, but we want you to understand grammar. All writers need to know grammar, and if you think you don't, you're sorely mistaken. I will and do reject stories on the basis of grammar, because grammar can make a story unreadable if the flaws are so blatant they pull you out of the story.

So, please, please, please, please, please proofread anything before sending if off to anyone.