Definitely feeling better on the emotional front today, which has to be incontrovertible proof that my moods are totally unrelated to external life events as it’s Monday-after-a-long-holiday, normally prime time for de-motivation and doldrums. Or maybe it’s the Sudafed I’ve been popping like candy . . .
Writing Stuff:
Received a 146-day reject from Weird Tales with comments indicating they really didn’t get the ending. Oh well.
Did a massive edit on my princess fantasy story. Chopped out around 500 words. Now I’m trying to figure out how to count anti-words into the Club 100 and 500/day resolutions I’ve made.
Still no word from John Frost of IROSF. Glug?
Word count: 548 + (-)500 anti-words.
Club 100 for Writers
17/100
500/day
5
As someone who is on the IROSF staff, we received an odd email from Bluejack the other day suggesting that John Frost was no longer a part of IROSF and that bluejack was searching for a new head editor. I’m almost hesitant to post this because I still don’t understand what happened or if I even read the email correctly.
I’d forgotten you were on the IROSF staff. Thanks for replying. I greatly appreciate any news, even if it’s disturbing and unconfirmed.
Re: the possible situation:
Thanks again for letting me know that something might be going on. I really, really appreciate it.
Bluejack just sent out a mass email to all subscribers about the situation, did you get it?
Yep, I got it. Gleep. I’ll keep my fingers crossed that IROSF manages to keep on chugging through this bit of inclement weather.
Warning About DNA Publications
Received a 146-day reject from Weird Tales with comments indicating they really didn’t get the ending. Oh well.
If you’re still submitting to Weird Tales, you might want to read this.
Re: Warning About DNA Publications
Yeah, I’m familiar with all the hubbub. The DNA stable has dropped several rungs on my “list of places to submit to.” But it had been slipping anyway.
That’s the kind of rejection I hate the worst: when the editor demonstrates beyond a doubt that they just didn’t “get it.” There’s always the possibility that what’s clear to me isn’t clear enough and a rewrite is required, but more often it shows that an editor and I are just not on the same page. It’s depressing, because I know at that point that selling to them is probably not going to happen.
I figure it was just a mismatch. Normally I get better feedback from the Weird Tales crew. And I do believe in this story. At the very least, it received an Honorable Mention from the Writers of the Future Contest folks. Still, sigh.
Weird Tales
Normally I get better feedback from the Weird Tales crew.
You seem to be having better luck than a lot of people. My fellow OWW-ers have reported some “weird” correspondence from Weird Tales. One member wrote, “Weird Tales in particular is notorious for bizarre-to-offensive rejections. Not so much from Mr. Scithers, but from the other reader…” I guess mileage will vary, though.
Re: Weird Tales
I’ve received a bizarre rejection from WT before (my first from them, actually), but my next one was very encouraging, a trend that’s more or less continued. I dunno. I let my subscription to them lapse when one of their editors published another of his stories in the magazine–a looong one too–after they’d already made a big to-do about how overstocked they were. I think they’ve become a bit stagnant as a market, but I still toss them the occasional story to reject because there’s still prestige (and money) behind their venerable name. But yeah, overall I’m seeing a trend of “declining quality.”
Re: Weird Tales
My first rejection from them was pretty offensive. It was also my last.