02.03.2008
Yes people, it's February. In fact, it has been for the last two days. But February also means that it's submission time for Abyss & Apex. I've been submitting there since I started asking editors for their rejections back in fall of the year six.
"But if you keep getting rejected by them," you ask. "Why keep submitted and, hence, getting rejected?"
Well, by that logic, I'd pretty much have to quit sending out stories for good. Also, I once got a very complimentary rejection for The Three Lives of Slugger Joe. What the very kind editor said was:
That's damned close to what I am looking for. The ending was a bit flat, and I'd have started with the scene with the ballplayer (so folks would be sure it was a science fiction story coming up - reader expectations). But darned good.
I'm rejecting this with the sincere hope you will send me more..
How nice is that? Very nice, I'd say.
So I keep sending them stories every quarter and every quarter I receive a polite "no". And this quarter, I've decided to send them Skin. Right now, it's only got the one rejection from Interzone. I've also decided to put Matriarchy on hold for the time being just to rack up a few more rejections for those older stories that have been floating around a while.
However, before I send it out, I need to put it through the additional step in my process that I've developed since getting a printer.
Now that I have my fancy-schmancy laser printer, I have been going through and printing out each story and doing a paper line edit. It's kind of crazy to see how much I don't see on screen but how much I do see on paper. Some stuff that reads well on the screen just doesn't work on paper. I even added a new notation into my story tracking worksheet to mark those stories I've done.
This is literally the last look I give these stories.
I find that it's a good way to sign-off on a given work and keep myself from going back and continually reworking it. I mean, if I didn't draw some kind of line in the sand, I could rework the old stuff forever and never write anything new.
I'm spending today putting in my edits on Rugged Individualists which, unfortunately, I have already sent to IGMS for rejection with too many typos.
Oh well...
Anyway, once I finish my edits on Skin it will wing its way via email over to the fine editors at Abyss & Apex for my latest rejection from them.
Other than that, I don't really have anything else to send out. Maybe Drug Enforcement to Asimov's or Fantasy & Science Fiction if its current place rejects it.
All righty. Hope everyone else is having a good weekend.