You again! You know what's weird? As a person, I also tend to feel a little distant and I never really do quite come to care about people the way I should. As my work reflects, apparently. It's amazing how you pinpoint the real me every time, and yet it's clear that you are never going to publish me. Note to new agent: Cross the Beckster off the list. I think she'll be relieved.
6 comments:
Garsh, are you ever cool to share your rejection letters and the associated pain. I don't have many of these yet, mostly because I'm a coward and haven't sent that much stuff out there to even BE rejected. However, I'm sure once I do get to that point I'll have lots of wounds to lick, and lots of humiliation I'd have no problem sharing. Most of my rejections have been form letters up to this point, and the nicest are of the, "This sucks, but if you write something else that's less offensively stupid please go ahead and send that later. Hopefully I'll have been promoted out of this crap position by then, but hey, if not, it's not as bad as some forms of torture" variety. Stuff like that makes you glad you got up in the morning, and resisted the impulse to open your throat and swallow all your medications in one go. Rock on!
This is a very courageous idea you've put into practice.
If I can ever find my file of rejection letters (of which there are more than a few), I'll share them. The most interesting came from The Atlantic Monthly, back when I was still submitting short stories.
Would love to post your rejections anonymously, Bluestalking and Rosina. I started this project to purgemy files, but have actually found it to be helpful. Sometimes I can actually use the helpful editorial criticism (taken together as a whole and at a distance) this way. I am revising my novel (again) and it feels easier somehow. I guess because these rejects are no longer my dirty little secret in my dirty little writer drawer. Rosina: Was it C. Michael Curtis's letter you have from the Atlantic Monthly? For some reason, his rejection really crushed me. Thanks for posting comments, though. And good luck to you both in all writing endeavors. Send me your rejections if you ever feel moved to!
People often thank Michael Curtis for his rejections or feel proud of them. Yet my experience is that he can be quite cutting in his comments.
I've received rejections from Michael Curtis and they were often pretty tough but in some senses evocative of new ideas and perspectives. That was the upset. The downside is that he could string people along and mess with their heads and be down right cold blooded about it. Nobody should have as much power as that man has had in his lifetime.
Post a Comment