Well, thanks to my $1 donation to Son and Foe I received an extra speedy rejection. I asked for it.
Any way, it was a pretty good rejection as far as rejections go. I decided (for the first time ever on this site) to reproduce my rejection word for word. I Usually wouldn’t do this for legal and professional reasons, but I want some writers who may just be starting out to see what a “good” rejection (not a form letter) looks like.
And away we go…
Anthony,
I’m going to give this one a pass, but I want you to know that it’s
very much the kind of story that I enjoy. The concept is excellent,
and the closing near-perfect. However, I found the prose a little
loose throughout, and I think the opening wasn’t as sure-footed as it
could have been. If you don’t end up selling this elsewhere, I
recommend you keep it around and rewrite it occasionally as you grow
as a writer. It’ll end up somewhere, I think, if you don’t give up on
it. Best of luck placing it elsewhere.
The only disappointing aspect (to any “good rejection”) is that the editor doesn’t have the time to give specifics. So I am left to ponder just what he might mean by “loose prose.”
That’s okay. I still appreciate the time he took to respond at all.
-AJR
Yeah, I’d agree that that’s a positive rejection. I often get told that my prose is a bit too loose or most of time, I make it too complicated because I’m worried to reader won’t understand what I’m talking about. So, I look over it, take out the wordiness of some passages, make some things clearer.
That’s a wonderful note from an editor, Anthony. It gives you pointers to work on and has the honest encouragement that with a few tweaks, the story will be worthy of publication. Good luck with the story!
~ Sury
Thanks all.
Yeah, I’m gonna go through this one again, see if I cvan’t tighten it up a bit before sending it out. Assuming I ever find the time.
That sounds like a great rejection. Go tighten up that prose. Usually you know if you read it over with a fresh mind set. I usually know which part is wrong if I pretend to be someone else reading it.