Oddly, this small-spirited rejectionette had me weeping at Lady Shrink 's office. Usually I let the rejections roll off, but this one messed me up. It says: "Your story is engaging, but alas, not very convincing. And it is, as discussed, on the long side. We'll have to pass, I'm sorry to say, but thanks for the look, and for introducing yourself Tuesday night..."
Why so tender? Lady Shrink said that I was maybe transferring some feelings of worthlessness from my rejecting father. Still. "Unconvincing?"
Anyway, the story in question was eventually a runner-up for a prestigious fiction award and got published in a very good literary review, one of the ones named after a Midwestern state that bespeaks literary integrity. So take that, distinguished editor of letters, C. Michael: you are not my father!
4 comments:
"not very convincing" is apparently CMC's trademark. My rejection from him contained the same exact phrase, as did a friend's.
Although he didn't even take the time to type my tiny rejection slip.
Zam! I don't know if I'm consoled or further insulted by this news!
Frigging Atlantic once rejected a story of mine, then later, after it was published elsewhere and was anthologized, they called begging for a story "just like that one."
Hey, you had one just like it -- THAT ONE -- and you rejected it, fools!!
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