Upcoming Short Story Publications

  • "Riders of the Red Shift" - Stupefying Stories 2013
  • "Custodes" - The Fifth Dimension, Sept. 2013
  • "Bindlestiff's Daughter" - The Lorelei Signal, Oct. 2013

Monday, August 06, 2012

Close, but no cigar

I guess one of the frustrations that comes with being a good genre writer, but not a great genre writer (although I like to flatter myself and think that at my best I have the proverbial "flashes of greatness") is that you sometimes get those "Oh, dude, you were so close!" rejections.

Yesterday was noteworthy because I got two of them.

One said "Yours is one of only a select few stories that made it to the final round of our decision-making process. Unfortunately we do not have room for your story in our upcoming issue. All the editors at (redacted) enjoyed your story and we encourage you to try us again."

The other said, "We have decided to pass on your story. We apologize for the delay in our response. Your story made it into our final round of reading." The editor then went on to solicit a submission for a related publication. adding they would be "excited" if I submitted something there.

Well, if I was a real pro - meaning I lived off my genre writing - I might be concerned. As it is, I'm a casual writer, with a regular full-time job, and I really don't spend a lot of time at the genre writing. It's hard to believe I've had 67 stories published in the past nine years, because honestly, I write very sporadically. For example, I think my production during the past two months is probably less than 4,000 words. So I am flattered by these responses. Since my regular job is as a writer (journalist), I still write every day, so I don't have a problem with getting rusty.
Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)

Latest reviews

A better path develops for a distraught man in “Double Exposure” by Lou Antonelli (debut 6/11 and reviewed by Frank D). Jake is about to end it all. He has been trying to keep his high maintenance wife happy for decades and has needed to embezzle to satisfy her spending habits. Now, on the verge of indictment and abandoned by his spouse, he buys a gun. Before he pulls the trigger, he spies a Kodak one-day photo hut. Curious, he pulls up to the window. They are holding pictures of him and his last girlfriend from 30 years before. The package is a lot thicker than it should be.

Double Exposure” is listed as an Alternative History story but I would classify it as a Magical Realism tale. It is set as a second chance tale, a look into a life that should have been. The author is inspired by his memories of the old photo huts (I remember them) and of their disappearance. A cool idea (photos of another life), one that I could imagine would make for a great anthology.

- Frank Dutkiewicz, Diabolical Plots

“Great White Ship”: A traveler stuck waiting for a flight strikes up a conversation with an old airline employee. The Old Timer tells him a story of a Great White Airship that arrives from a most unusual destination. The story of a craft from an alternate reality and how it got there is only the precursor to the final act.

This is one of my favorite stories from this site. I have a great passion for lighter-than-air craft and their potential as a future means of transport, which opens the story. The author uses this speculation to launch into an engaging tale. As fascinating as the main story line is, the alternate history premise that accompanies it is just as worthwhile. This story was well written and very well thought out. It is well worth the read.

Recommended.

- James Hanzelka, Diabolical Plots

Blog Archive

Legalese

The content of this web site is subject to the following creative commons license: Click here for the fine print