With my writer’s hat firmly planted . . . .

I even have my glasses on. Whenever I wear my glasses, I feel all frumpy and librariany.

Yesterday, I got two whole rejections slips in the mail. One from Absolute Magnitude and one from Dreams of Decadence. Obviously the DNA publications Lapine/Kessler duo had a slush reading last weekend. But, despite the crushing rejection (actually, not-so-crushing, in truth, I’m getting a thick skin about dejection slips) I’m jazzed. Both notes had encouraging handwritten blurbs on them and the one from Ms. Kessler–editor of D of D herself and not some first-reader–said she was keeping another of my submissions for consideration. Happy dance!

How sad is it that a strong “maybe” can get me so riled up? Aw heck, I’ll take what perks I can out.

And on a less firm “maybe”, I was cruising the Rumor Mill and saw that the editor who I’ve got two manuscripts with, one for each anthology he’s currently editing, sent rejection snail-mail out early last month but sent email notes out to author’s he’s short listed. And I realized, ding, that when I sent these stories out, I had my mediaone.net email address still, before that whole AT&T debacle, and if he’d sent a note to me, it would have gotten bounced. I’m probably leap-frogging the gun to assume no news is good news, but not getting a dejection slip makes me hopeful. So I sent him a query and an FYI about my email address changing.

I appear to be firmly mired in writer’s block, but at least I’m staying on top of the marketing side of things.

Must. Sell. Something. (Else.)

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10 Responses to With my writer’s hat firmly planted . . . .

  1. prosewitch says:

    Yeah, the lady of Dreams of Decadence is really nice. I’ve received rejections for the two stories and one poem I submitted over the last few years, but they were always politely and encouragingly worded. Good luck with that submission she’s still considering–I agree that it’s something well worth being excited over!

    Arg, I wish I had some of my stories out to magazines right now… *grumbles about school*

    • Eugie Foster says:

      I’ve met both Angela Kessler and Warran Lapine and they’re both really cool people. I just wish I could get one of my SF stories past the first readers at Abs Mag but I’m thrilled to get the personal attention of Ms. Kessler. ‘Course I’d be even more thrilled if she bought something from me.

      Why don’t you have stories out to markets? Even if you don’t have time to write–which I completely understand. College was a while ago, but I still remember how it sucked up every iota of my time and energy–you can still stick completed stories into envelopes and send them out. *Nudge*

      • prosewitch says:

        Er, I know my excuses for not submitting stories have been rather flimsy. I had one or two out to online paying markets, but they were recently rejected. Now, however, I’m moving for the summer, so now I have the excuse of a changing address…

        • Eugie Foster says:

          Ah, the student address instability thing. I always hated it when I had to bop between dorms, holiday addresses, and short-term apartments. In theory, your mail can follow you, but all too often snail mail gets lost in the labyrinth of student housing complexities. Much sympathy.

          You can also send hardcopy submissions to some places and request an email reply. Like I know that several markets will reply via email if you’re from overseas (even though they still don’t accept e-subs). Saves on the whole IRC/SAE/foreign postage debacle. Come to think of it, a few local markets will as well. Just gotta scour their guideline policies.

  2. mouseferatu says:

    “How sad is it that a strong “maybe” can get me so riled up?”

    Not sad at all, really. Or, more accurately, if it is sad, then it’s you and me both. 🙂

    I remember how excited I was when my (now ex) agent told me that one of the editors at Warner Aspect books was taking a closer look at my novel The Goblin Wars. The mere fact that it had gotten past step one sent me into euphoria for days.

    (You’ll probably have noticed that there is still no book called The Goblin Wars on bookshelves, so you know how that one eventually turned out.) :-/

    I had gotten so used to rejections, anything that wasn’t a concrete “No!” was exciting. So I don’t think it’s sad at all.

    (For the record, I still get rejections. The game writing is going really well, but I’ve still yet to sell one of my novels.)

    • Eugie Foster says:

      *Whimper* I don’t have an agent. *Whimper* I haven’t completed a novel-length work.

      Err, pardon my downward spiral into nigglings of inferiority. Did I mention that I’m envious of your White Wolf pubs? Let me reiterate that. *Sigh*

      But yah, I’m only a little bit wry about feeling all perky and pleased to get a concrete “maybe.” It’s so much more encouraging than those slips of say-nothing-form-rejects.

      • mouseferatu says:

        Well, for what it’s worth, I don’t have an angent anymore, either. She closed up shop for health reasons. But that’s really okay, since she hadn’t accomplished much anyway. :-/

        I’ve tried to get another one, but so far every agency I’ve approached has been just another rejection, just like the publishers.

        Out of curiosity, do you have any interest in writing for White Wolf (or another game company)? Are you interested in writing game supplements, or are you just looking for fiction publications? I only ask because I didn’t really expect to end up writing for WW myself. It just sort of happened. My hope is that I can eventually use this as a stepping stone to novel publication, although it’s a lot of fun in and of itself, of course. 🙂

        I can’t promise anything or pull strings, but if you want to submit to WW or maybe one of the various D20 companies out there, I can at least give you some pointers.

        • Eugie Foster says:

          Out of curiosity, do you have any interest in writing for White Wolf (or another game company)?

          YES!!!!

          I can’t promise anything or pull strings, but if you want to submit to WW or maybe one of the various D20 companies out there, I can at least give you some pointers.

          Gimme gimme gimme! I sit at your feet, oh great guru, awaiting your words of enlightenment.

          • mouseferatu says:

            lol! Don’t sit at my feet, my carpet is covered in cat fur. 😉

            I’ll tell you what. At some point this evening, I’ll post an entry in my own journal giving advice on working for WW (or other game companies). I know you’re not the only who’d like to hear it.

            Keep in mind, though, that a lot of what I’m going to suggest is basic, common-sense stuff. There isn’t one great secret I can impart, although I’d be happy to do so if there were. All I can do is make sure you know how to maximize your chances. (Aaaggh!! “Maximize!” Corporate speak! Nnnooooooo!!!”) 😉

            I always feel a bit weird doing this. There’s a part of me that still thinks it was pure luck that this happened, and that it’s going to slip away any minute. Intellectually, I know that’s not the case–if it were, I wouldn’t have been doing it for almost a year and a half now–but it still feels that way. Consider that a warning; the insecurities never go away, even after you’ve been published. It’s just part of the essential neuroses of being a writer. 🙂

          • Eugie Foster says:

            Don’t sit at my feet, my carpet is covered in cat fur.

            I laugh at fuzzy strands all over my clothing. Hahaha!

            I’ll post an entry in my own journal giving advice on working for WW (or other game companies).

            Coolness and capering. Thanks! I haven’t had a chance to peruse your gems of wisdom, but will do so ASAP.

            Consider that a warning; the insecurities never go away, even after you’ve been published. It’s just part of the essential neuroses of being a writer.

            Oh great. Now someone tells me. Although to tell you the truth, I sort of suspected it. Actually, nix that, I’m actually not insecure when it comes to non-fiction writing. The textbook I co-authored pretty much cemented that. Probably helped that I didn’t have to go through any of the insecurity-inspiring marketing part of that. I came into a project that was already a sure thing. But fiction–and fiction is what I actually care about since I kicked my academic activities to the curb years ago–is a whole ‘nother beastie. Even after my big first sale, I’m still all a-twitch but now not with the “what if no one buys anything”s but rather the “what if it was a fluke and I’m just a one hit wonder?”s. Argh.

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