L. Lambert Lawson
Writer. Reader. Friend.Archive for Uncategorized
Why Do I Post My Rejections?
A few people have asked me: “Why do you post your rejections?” To start, I always have….just not here. This just seemed like a better place for it. I wanted a reason to blog more regularly here. There’s an answer. But there’s a better answer lurking…
I do it partly because I want others to know they’re not alone. We’re all wounded together; were all toughening up together, too. And, one day, we’ll all be published–somewhere. I don’t know where, and I don’t know when, but I know there’s a payoff for those of us slogging in the writing trenches.
I do it partly because I want to keep a record that I can look back on. Also, I want a record showing that I’m submitting. And, with submissions come rejections–for all writers from the very best (people like you) to the mediocre (people like me). It’s a sort of curriculum vitae, and it proves that I’m a writer (to me at the very least). Somedays, you really need that reminder. Oh yeah. I got seven rejections last week. I’m definitely a fucking writer. At least I know this is true.
I do it partly because I think some emerging writers sort of secret away their rejections. Perhaps, one day, they’ll see the light of day, but only after we’re established/famous/what-the-fuck-ever and those barbs won’t any longer have the power to wound. See! I am a good writer, we’ll call. But rejections don’t tell me that I’m a bad writer–that’s what my friends and crit-mates are for. 
No, rejections tell me that I didn’t have what someone was looking for. It’s really subjective. Really. But could I do better with my writing? Yes. All writers can do better, especially me. And I work everyday to get better. A rejection only tells me one thing, though: I didn’t have what that editor was looking for that day. Or those days/months/years. Who knows why? I certainly don’t know. All I know is what’s in the letter for that particular piece. Perhaps I’m looking at this all wrong, but I enjoy my perspective, and I think I’ll keep it.
Last, I think I do it partly because I want a place to look back at, a point on the horizon, that shows a clear line between where I entered the jungle we call a writer’s life and the place within the jungle where I eventually cleared a space for my home. And, yes, I will have a home in the SFF writing community.
That much I do know.
[P.S. I don't do it to put any editors on blast. I'm an editor myself, so that'd be sort of silly. Most of the rejections I get are quite kind, so I'd like to share them with the world.]
Rejection 56: Drabblecast (Another Awesome Letter)
Dear Mr. Lawson,
In this case, I was torn for a while. On the one hand, I appreciated
the relatively understated way the characterization of the final
decision was handled and the writing was generally suitable. However,
I felt like the “metaphor” was just a little too on the nose. That
is, for all the mention of teleporters and whatnot, the story is
basically writing “THIS IS ABOUT ABORTION DEBATES CIRCA 2010″ in
letters ten feet tall. Regardless of my or the other editors’
personal feelings on the matter, the Drabblecast doesn’t really get
into political satire much, as a general rule; without a little bit
more story and a bit further obfuscation of the core thematic barbs
here, that’s really more what this is. More “Primary Colors” than
“Manchurian Candidate,” if you follow.Have you tried this one with XXX XXXX XXXXXX? I’m not certain about
their policies on flash fiction, but they do claim an unabashedly
political slant to their magazine. They’ve rejected several of mine
for burying what they thought of as the lede too far. ;-)ttfn
Nathaniel Lee
If I ever have the good luck to meet Nathaniel Lee, I’m going to purchase him his beverage of choice. In fact, because I like this guy’s rejections so much, if I meet anyone named Nathaniel Lee, I’m going to buy them a drink too in an effort to pay forward this guy’s goodness.
And Nathaniel, if you ever read this (and some of the editors who’ve rejected me are reading this blog now), I mean it. Thanks for the thoughtful response; it means a lot to those of us slogging it out in the trenches.
I blocked out the magazine he mentioned, but they were actually next on my list after Drabblecast. Serendipity? Watch this space to find out.
Rejection 55: New Myths (A Well-Deserved Rejection)
Dear Mr. Lawson,
Thanks for letting us read your submission. I’m afraid we are going to pass this time. Unfortunately, we get too many submissions to offer personal feedback on each one. Best of luck placing it elsewhere.
Sincerely,
Nu Yang, assistant editor
New Myths
This story that I submitted was, as Damon Knight wrote when paraphrasing Frank L. Baum, picked too green. I’m not sure why I sent it out the door twice. Back to the woodshed with this story for a proper ass-kicking.
Rejection 54: Fantasy Short Stories [Insights on Form Rejections from New Publishers]
Dear L. Lambert,
Thank you for sending me “Finding the Blue Door”. I appreciate the chance to read it. Unfortunately the piece is not right for Fantasy Short Stories.
Thanks again. Best of luck with this.
Sincerely,Mark
Editor, Fantasy Short Stories
When I first started Kazka Press, I got some feedback that, as a new publisher, one of the things I can offer writers is a little bit of personalized feedback. That way, authors can know what I’m looking for, as a publisher. As well, such a gesture might ensure another submission, in the future, from the same author. I’ve since taken that advice to heart and try to give personalized feedback from our readers to our writers. (Unless the submission doesn’t follow our guidelines. At that point, it’s form rejection all the way.)
Now, on the receiving end, I understand the sentiment that drove that feedback. Fantasy Short Stories is a new publisher, from what I can tell. I don’t know what they want, and their rejections don’t give any indication. I know what they don’t want: the stories I’ve sent in. But that’s about all. [Perhaps I should take the hint. ]
Thus, I am inclined, as a writer, to not submit again to this market because I feel like I’m just tossing pebbles into a well, hoping to hear splashing, but all I’m getting is silence.
Makes me want to find another well.
That said, publishers can do what they want–we certainly do at Kazka Press: Fantasy Flash Fiction (more awesome link-building). No writer is happy with a rejection, of course. I don’t mind a rejection–another badge and all that. It’s just important to note, and learn myself for Kazka, that form rejections from a small, new publisher might work against that publisher’s short-term interests.
The big folks, like BCS, can manage personalized rejections (I’m surely not the only one who’s received one). So can the small ones–Kazka included. We owe that, at least, to the good folks who are hoping to publish with us.
Thoughts on Nebula Short List
As many people are no doubt doing, I have been reading (or rereading) work that appeared on the Nebula Award short list. Pieces, like The Paper Menagerie by Ken Liu, are enthralling. Pieces, like The Man Who Bridged the Mist, are evocative. Each story I’ve read so far has blown me away…part of the reason I love working in this genre. Forget the esoteric bullshit of traditional literature–I mean, I enjoyed Tinkers, but what the fuck actually happened?–because SFF literature has depth, symbolism, vision, and the good sense to tell a damn good story. Well done, nominated writers.
Hopefully, this year I can make a pro sale so that I can join SFWA and actually nom and vote next year.
And, of course, hopefully I’ll be on the list myself someday. Perhaps by 2015. You read it here 1st!
Rejection 53: Drabblecast (13 Minute Rejection; Detailed Response)
Dear Mr. Lawson,
I found the beginning of “The Poinsettia” to be fairly engaging, if a trifle on the “look at how quirky I’m being” side of things. However, the resolution left me a little cold. I felt the connection between Ted’s “memento mori” and “carpe diem” messages and the mean things people said about the narrator behind her back to be tenuous, and the portrayal of the narrator’s perceived status in the workplace and subsequent revelation lacked bite.
It was a little too plainly stated, and I didn’t see it tremendously foreshadowed; previously, the narrator had seemed content – if not happy – in her solitude. And, honestly, if you’re just kind of a non-entity in a social setting, no one is talking about you, not to say mean things, not to say anything.
Really, her tragedy would be that she hasn’t impacted anyone enough to forge connections of love OR hate. That, I think, would be a more hurtful epiphany for her, and might fit better with the thematic core of Ted’s transient presence in her life. Feel free to keep us in mind for future submissions.
Sincerely, Nathaniel Lee Submissions Editor
I received this quite detailed response 13 minutes after I submitted. Yes, you read that right. THIRTEEN MINUTES. I responded that he’d set a high bar of swiftness and thoroughness in rejections. He responded thusly:
Eh, you should see Shawn Garrett’s over at Pseudopod. I don’t do these that often (basically, I reserve it for “almost but not quite” situations), but he does ‘em for almost every story that gets to him. The man has dedication.
So why so excited? The amount of ‘almost there’ rejections have shown quite an uptick lately. Perhaps, one day soon, I’ll get a ‘you got there’ acceptance.
Rejection 52: The Colored Lens
Thank you for considering us, but we’re going to pass on this one. The idea of “blue brass” and its effects/powers is unique and well developed for something so short. Unfortunately, we’re looking for something with a stronger plot arc. Of course, that’s partially simply the downfall of flash fiction, and so it’s entirely possible other editors will feel differently.
I wish you well in placing this piece elsewhere, and hope you consider us for future submissions.
Incidentally, if you’re interested in seeing submission stats for The Colored Lens, take a look at our blog. I post monthly tallies of how many submissions received, general categories of rejections, etc. Also, in the interest of statistics, we encourage you to post responses to http://www.duotrope.com/RT.aspx?id=5920
Dawn Lloyd
Editor in Chief
The Colored Lens
http://thecoloredlens.com/
From sending to rejection: 7 hours. Not sure if that’s exciting or depressing.
Rejection 51: “Queer Fish 2″ Anthology (A Damn Good Rejection Letter)
Dear L Lambert Lawson,
Thank you for the opportunity to read your work. For “Queer Fish 2″ we are interested in male/male stories only, so for this reason we will have to pass on “Another Name in an Index.”
I will add that I did read it, and that I actually enjoyed it very much. Perhaps this is due my my own penchant for strong, tough-talking female protagonists and edgy dialog, but I thought that your writing in general was top-notch. Should you decide to submit to Pink Narcissus Press again in the future, we would be delighted to consider more of your work.
Thanks again, and I wish you luck placing this story with another publisher.
Rose Mambert
Editor in Chief
Pink Narcissus Press
pinknarc.com
This is a fantasy erotica story I wrote. I don’t ever write erotica (this was a one off for me), so I’m trying to find a home for it. Almost…almost. Onward!
Rejection 50: Untied Shoelaces of the Mind (Worst Rejection Letter Yet)
We can’t use your story at this time. We hope you have some luck placing it with another market. No editor notes. Please submit more fiction.
Your submission of “Luck of the Blue Brass” was reviewed by Geoffrey C Porter.
Form Letter Rejection
Please report this to Duotrope’s Digest, you submitted on 4:40 PM, Feb 2nd, 2012 and we rejected on 6:29 PM, Feb 12th, 2012.
Questions or whatnot can be sent to geoffporter@yahoo.com. Use a good subject line, or I’ll think it’s spam.
Message intended for notices of story updates. Do not reply to this messsage. Copyright 2009. You are receiving this email because you submitted a story to Untied Shoelaces of the Mind.
I know that I have a lot to learn about writing rejection letters for Kazka Press: Fantasy Flash Fiction, but I pray to SBJ that none of our letters have been this poorly constructed. Sorry, folks at USotM: won’t be sending more fiction to you.
Herein Lies the Rambling.
I spent a good chunk of my time today reading short stories. There’s a good one by Lauren Dixon up on ScapeZine [Young Adult Science Fiction Short Stories] (good link building, there). If you haven’t checked out Scape, or this story, take a wander over. And, of course, check out the fabulous Galen Dara’s artwork for that piece. (She’s doing a piece for the Bronies anthology as well.)
Speaking of Bronies, I finally settled on a cover picture. Most of the stuff I really liked was way out of my price range. Way out. So, I went looking for something simple and iconic, and I found something I really liked. I can’t wait to show it off.
I applied to Clarion West the other day. I spent months polishing one of the stories I submitted. The second story I worked on for about three weeks. I really like both of them. I then spent two weeks on my personal statement. Man…that was a bitch to write.
Though I won’t get accepted, you really can’t win the lotto unless you play. So, I played. The joy was in the application. Getting in would be…amazing. However, all the amazing things in my life (and there are many, many) are not part of the writing side of my life. They’re in my personal life–and I’m quite thankful for that. I lead a good, happy life. Clarion West would just be…too good to even think about.
I find it strange. I often let myself daydream about different things in my life. But this, Clarion West–nope. Applied. Moving on. Perhaps I’m just throwing up defenses. I tend to do that. Blockade myself so that I cant get hurt. Who knows. I guess I’ll know once the email comes.
Until then…lots to do. Already 1/4 of the way into the semester. Lots of grading, assignments, projects, and grading. Plus extracurricular projects. Time flies….
