Tag: Rejectomancy

The Post-Acceptance Process

In a recent post, I discussed my process after receiving a rejection. Well, there’s a flip side to that, and I have a post-acceptance process too. It’s just as important as the post-rejection ritual, maybe even more so. Here’s what I do (or try… Continue Reading “The Post-Acceptance Process”

Submission Statement: May/June 2019

Playing catch-up again. Here are my submission endeavors for May and June. May/June 2019 Report Card Submissions Sent: 11 Rejections: 12 Acceptances: 1 Publications: 0 Submission Withdrawal: 1 May was fairly productive with 7 submissions, but I stumbled in June and only managed 4… Continue Reading “Submission Statement: May/June 2019”

Form Rejections: What Do They Actually Mean?

As a longtime student of rejectomancy, I’ll be the first to tell you the arcane art of divining meaning from rejections only gets you so far. Sometimes a rejection just means what it says and nothing more. Attempting to read complex hidden motives into… Continue Reading “Form Rejections: What Do They Actually Mean?”

My Most-Rejected Story (24 & Counting)

One of my favorite things to talk about on this blog is my most-rejected story. It’s a battered and beleaguered urban fantasy tale that has endured more close-but-no-cigars, shortlists, market closures, and of course plain old form rejections than any other story I’ve ever… Continue Reading “My Most-Rejected Story (24 & Counting)”

A Week of Writing: 6/10/19 to 6/16/2019

Another week of writing and stuff. Words to Write By This week’s quote is another from Mark Twain. “The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and then starting… Continue Reading “A Week of Writing: 6/10/19 to 6/16/2019”

Submissions: A Pair of Never Have I Evers

With over four hundred submissions you might think I’ve seen just about everything when it comes to editorial responses. I’ve certainly seen a lot, but there are a couple of anomalies in my submission record that stick out. Let’s talk about them. 1) Never… Continue Reading “Submissions: A Pair of Never Have I Evers”

Weeks of Writing: 5/20/19 to 6/9/19

Yikes. Time to get caught up on these weeklies. Words to Write By This week’s quote is another from Jodi Picoult. “You can always edit a bad page. You can’t edit a blank page.” ― Jodi Picoult I love this quote because it’s such a simple… Continue Reading “Weeks of Writing: 5/20/19 to 6/9/19”

The Post-Rejection Process

Rejections are inevitable. You can’t avoid them, you can’t (and absolutely shouldn’t) argue with them, and though they lose some of their sting over time, they’ll always have some bite. What you can do is control how you deal with rejections. For me, that… Continue Reading “The Post-Rejection Process”

Submission Protocol: Further Consideration Letters

A recent discussion with another author about further consideration letters (sometimes called short-list letters) prompted the question of whether or not you should respond to them. It got me thinking about how I generally handle short lists and further considerations. So let’s talk about… Continue Reading “Submission Protocol: Further Consideration Letters”

Deadlines: What Can They Teach You?

I’m currently writing on deadline, something I’ve done a lot in my career. From short stories to novels, I’ve frequently had to bang out the words under the gun. That got me thinking. What has writing under a deadline taught me and how has… Continue Reading “Deadlines: What Can They Teach You?”