Nice, but apparently form, rejection from Abyss & Apex:

Thank you for submitting “Elsie And The Wild Boys” to ABYSS & APEX. It was well received here, but after some thought we have decided not to accept it for publication.

I hope you’ll consider us again, and I wish you the best success in placing this story elsewhere.

Onward.

In other publishing news, a magazine that had about a dozen of my poems for over six months just folded. Another never responded for over a year, including to a direct query on the status of my poems. Aside from speculative journals, I’ve received nothing but form rejections for my poetry for about two years now, if anything. A few theses on that:

• This is because I made the choice to submit to more challenging markets, and my work just isn’t up to snuff.
• My work from the MFA program is overedited, soulless, or just plain sucks. Having read slush, I know it’s not exactly the dregs of the slush pile. But maybe it is, and I just don’t see it.
• I don’t network enough.
• People google me and think my blog is too snarky/ridiculous/whatever.
• I’m just a terrible poet.
• Who knows?

Whatever the reason, I’m feeling increasingly reluctant about my realist poetry, and the literary world generally. Even the form rejections from the speculative fiction/poetry side of things are nicer. Does nice matter? Maybe it shouldn’t. But it sure as heck makes me feel more motivated about submitting.

No-go from GUD today; onward to IGMS. Am I crazy to keep submitting to these (paying, big) markets? Yes, yes. I think I’ll try F&SF next.

I need to write more short stories. I have a few ideas floating around, nebulous, but nothing that’s caught yet. I’d like to come up with something to send to Cat Rambo, since she wanted to see more.

On the bright side of things, I finally solved a novel-problem (as opposed, I think, to a novel problem). Until yesterday, my love interest had no personality. But on the way home last night, I figured it out: I’ll make him be just as big of a jerk as my protagonist! He’s been wanting to be written that way, anyway. This development means rewriting, but has also allowed me to be terribly productive today. I got twice as much writing done as I normally do.

In fact, I’m nearing the 50,000-word mark (as of right now? 47,570). This is new territory for me; all previous long-form projects died (NaNoWriMo 2006) or ended (last year’s MS) just over 40,000 words. I have really no idea how long this one will be. As long as it takes, I guess. My goal right now is to finish the draft before my 26th birthday. I’m not sure why. It just really feels appropriate.

Cat Rambo of Fantasy Magazine wins the fastest-editor-ever award, for a fifty-eight minute (nice!) rejection:

Phoebe -

This is a good story with an absolutely -killer- last line, but it’s not quite right for us. Please send me something else?

best,
Cat Rambo

Man, I really, really wish I had more short stories to send her.

Another nice rejection, this one from Strange Horizons. Apparently sent before I started working for them; got lost in the tubes:

Thank you for submitting “The Long Summer” to Strange Horizons, but we’ve decided not to accept it for publication. This is an intriguing, well-written story, and the end is beautifully touching. But it’s just not quite right for us; we get a lot of mythic retellings, and I’m afraid we’re a tough market for them, especially at this length.

Onward!