I'm not a fan of form rejection letters which include suppositions of what's wrong with your story.

My most recent rejection included "Sometimes a narrative can be excellent work but simply not be right for the journal. One common reason for this is that the text, though under 1000 words, isn't a flash narrative. This might mean your story would work better as a longer story, part of a longer story, or even poetry."

Another time, I received a form rejection that said my work might be offensive or poorly edited.

Lit mags, don't put stuff like this in your form rejections. If it's personalized and you want a writer to revise and resubmit, ok. But including this in all rejections comes across as condescending or alienating.

Sometimes the story is perfectly fine and just doesn't fit in your issue, and that's ok. I've had stories rejected with these sorts of copy/paste commentary that went on to win contests.

Writers, don't take this stuff personally. Maybe your story does need a bit more revision. Or maybe the form rejection was written by a crankyass. #WritingCommunity #LitMags #publishing #RejectionLetters

For Writers: Handling Rejection Letters from Literary Journals

Do you submit short stories or poetry to literary journals like me? If so, you must know the effect a rejection letter can have. But rest assured, you are not alone. Everyone receives a rejection letter. It's just part of the business of being a writer. I'm focusing here on short story or poetry submissions, but the same applies to novels and other work, such as magazine articles or non-fiction journals.

http://nicksnicholas.com/2024/06/25/for-writers-handling-rejection-letters-from-literary-journals/

#amwriting #writers #tipsforwriters #literary #submissions #rejection #rejectionletters #author #shortstories #fiction #creativewriting

"what is in the room, what is the light like” #ToniMorrison #RejectionLetters #TheCraftOfWriting #Literature #Publishing

https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/there-is-no-point-in-my-being-other-than-honest-with-you-on-toni-morrisons-rejection-letters/

- stares at rejection letter -

Well, that sucks for them because I am actually really great at making podcasts....

And I would have been the funniest person they would have interviewed all day.

So....

#podcast #rejection #rejectionletters

Pitch rejections and play submission rejections are to be expected, however when the editor or reviewer take the time to personalise the response it doesn't seem to wound as much.

Emails to 'undisclosed recipients' starting "Dear Writer/Playwright/Applicant" always leave a bitter taste.

When I receive an email starting, "Dear Marjorie ..." with relevant details of my application, I feel seen, and encouraged even though unsuccessful this time.

#AmWriting #Writer #RejectionLetters #DoBetter