| Author | Message | ||
| Felicia Nimue Ackerman (Nimue)
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I once had a magazine reject a short story of mine for a reason that must be unique in the history of rejections. What was it?? | ||
| Hannah Kinghern (Kdoc)
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was it rejected for a 'positive' reason? too good for them?  was the reason for the rejection: to do with you, the author? to do with the content of the story? to do with the words used in the story? to do with the magazine itself? to do with the time you sent it in? to do with a connection between it and another piece of writing? to do with the title? were they afraid to print it for some reason? did they think it would harm their reputation in some way? did they misunderstand something about the story? is the money involved relevant? is politics relevant? did they think the premise of the story was preposterous? did they think people would not like it? or not believe it? or complain about it? or not understand it? did they think it was too similar to another story? | ||
| Drew Sollenberger (Sollen)
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was it too short; long? did the magizine only accept articules from a certin type of person? was it suppose to only take articles from children and they didn't belive you were a child? | ||
| (Stuccosalt)
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does it have anything to do with something else in this particular magazine? | ||
| (Stuccosalt)
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one more - did they want to do something else with it, rather than publish it in this magazine? | ||
| Felicia Nimue Ackerman (Nimue)
|
By Hannah Kinghern (Kdoc) on Monday, December 20, 2004 - 08:22 pm: was it rejected for a 'positive' reason? too good for them? oddly enough, no (although I realize that is the only good reason anyone could have for rejecting one of my stories...) was the reason for the rejection: to do with you, the author? noish to do with the content of the story? yes to do with the words used in the story? no to do with the magazine itself? no to do with the time you sent it in? yes to do with a connection between it and another piece of writing? yes to do with the title? no were they afraid to print it for some reason? no did they think it would harm their reputation in some way? no did they misunderstand something about the story? no is the money involved relevant? no is politics relevant? no. I don't write politically-oriented stories. I don't even like that sirt of fiction did they think the premise of the story was preposterous? no did they think people would not like it? no or not believe it? no or complain about it? noish or not understand it? no did they think it was too similar to another story? yes By Drew Sollenberger (Sollen) on Monday, December 20, 2004 - 08:32 pm: was it too short; long? neither | ||
| Felicia Nimue Ackerman (Nimue)
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did the magizine only accept articules from a certin type of person? no was it suppose to only take articles from children and they didn't belive you were a child? no By (Stuccosalt) on Monday, December 20, 2004 - 09:00 pm: does it have anything to do with something else in this particular magazine? yes By (Stuccosalt) on Monday, December 20, 2004 - 09:17 pm: one more - did they want to do something else with it, rather than publish it in this magazine? You mean like eat it? no | ||
| David Burn (Woubit)
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Did this magazine publish only fiction? | ||
| Felicia Nimue Ackerman (Nimue)
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By David Burn (Woubit) on Monday, December 20, 2004 - 10:08 pm: Did this magazine publish only fiction? no | ||
| Trophic Caltrop (Leopardspots)
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Was the story rejected because it too closely mirrored a real-life incident that was also printed in the publication (which occurred coincidentally after you had written your fictional story)? | ||
| Felicia Nimue Ackerman (Nimue)
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By Trophic Caltrop (Leopardspots) on Tuesday, December 21, 2004 - 12:30 am: Was the story rejected because it too closely mirrored a real-life incident that was also printed in the publication (which occurred coincidentally after you had written your fictional story)? no | ||
| (Stuccosalt)
|
They didn't want to eat it? I thought maybe you had written it on graham crackers, I heard Dickens went through the same thing as a young writer. Were its characters too similar to another story? It's theme? It's setting? Did it take place in a specific time or place in which another piece of writing in the magazine was also set? Did it involve any actual events or nonfiction elements that were involved in other works in the magazine (i.e. was it historical fiction, did it use an actual person as a character etc.)? | ||
| Hannah Kinghern (Kdoc)
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Following these answers: "did they think it was too similar to another story? yes does it have anything to do with something else in this particular magazine? yes" did they think it was too similar to another story in that magazine? is it relevant who the author of the other piece of writing was? were they worried about plagiarism? being sued? were they worried about a particular character or characters in the story? did they think one of your characters was too like a real life person? none of this would make the rejection unique however... is it unique because it is just very very unlikely? would it be possible for this rejection to have happened to someone else? at another time is it relevant what time of year the issue of the magazine was going out in? Christmas relevant? would the rejection have happened in the same way if you had used a pseudonym? should we be trying to find out what the story was about? | ||
| Trophic Caltrop (Leopardspots)
|
If the story had been published, would the publication's readership have been surprised at the decision to publish? | ||
| Trophic Caltrop (Leopardspots)
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What would an average person, who knew nothing about you other than the fact you like to write short stories, think of you after hearing the reason? Would they hold you in higher or lower regard (however slight)? | ||
| Felicia Nimue Ackerman (Nimue)
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By (Stuccosalt) on Tuesday, December 21, 2004 - 01:03 pm: They didn't want to eat it? I thought maybe you had written it on graham crackers, Please!! If I wrote on food, it would be on chocolate I heard Dickens went through the same thing as a young writer. You think Dickens had problems?? Malory wrote Le Morte Darthur while in jail. N.B. I loathe Dickens. Were its characters too similar to another story? no It's theme? yope It's setting? yeish Did it take place in a specific time or place in which another piece of writing in the magazine was also set no Did it involve any actual events or nonfiction elements that were involved in other works in the magazine (i.e. was it historical fiction, did it use an actual person as a character etc.)no By Hannah Kinghern (Kdoc) on Tuesday, December 21, 2004 - 01:04 pm: Following these answers: "did they think it was too similar to another story? yes does it have anything to do with something else in this particular magazine? yes" did they think it was too similar to another story in that magazine? is it relevant who the author of the other piece of writing was?noish were they worried about a particular character or characters in the story no did they think one of your characters was too like a real life person? no none of this would make the rejection unique however... is it unique because it is just very very unlikely?yope would it be possible for this rejection to have happened to someone els yes at another time yes is it relevant what time of year the issue of the magazine was going out in no Christmas relevant no | ||
| David Burn (Woubit)
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What's wrong with Dickens? Harmless sort of chap, decent author... If the editors had rejected this other story, would they have published yours? | ||
| Felicia Nimue Ackerman (Nimue)
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What's wrong with Dickens? EEEK!!! MAWKISH!! Harmless sort of chap, decent author... If the editors had rejected this other story, would they have published yours? probably | ||
| David Burn (Woubit)
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Mawkish? Dickens, card-carrying liberal, tireless campaigner for social reform and staunch upholder of human dignity? Dickens, far in advance of his time on the questions of equality for women, education for all, and individual freedom of choice above the arbitrary constraints imposed by the state? True, he used to go on a bit - but so would you, if you were paid by the line and had the happy gift of being able to use seven words where a less driven author might have used one. True also that, like Wordsworth, the worst of Dickens is very, very bad - but, like Wordsworth, the best of Dickens is sublime. You must be thinking of someone else By the "setting" of this story, do you mean geographical location? or some kind of institution, or place of work? | ||
| Felicia Nimue Ackerman (Nimue)
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By David Burn (Woubit) on Tuesday, December 21, 2004 - 09:43 pm: Mawkish? Dickens, card-carrying liberal, tireless campaigner for social reform and staunch upholder of human dignity? Dickens, far in advance of his time on the questions of equality for women, education for all, and individual freedom of choice above the arbitrary constraints imposed by the state? moral & political virtue do not a good writer make True, he used to go on a bit - but so would you, if you were paid by the line and had the happy gift of being able to use seven words where a less driven author might have used one. True also that, like Wordsworth, the worst of Dickens is very, very bad - but, like Wordsworth, the best of Dickens is sublime. You must be thinking of someone else No. I'm just thinking differently from the way you do. I also don't like "Daffodils," which is all I know of Wordsworth. By the "setting" of this story, do you mean geographical location? no or some kind of institution, yesish or place of work? yes | ||
| Felicia Nimue Ackerman (Nimue)
|
By the way, Woubit, I hate to say this, but Sir Thomas Malory was a dreadful reactionary. Why suppose there's any connection between literary & political excellence? There are excellent leftist writers, of course, such as Richard Wright, but it's not their politics that msake them excellent. | ||
| Trophic Caltrop (Leopardspots)
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I've been missed out!  | ||
| Felicia Nimue Ackerman (Nimue)
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would the rejection have happened in the same way if you had used a pseudonym? yesish should we be trying to find out what the story was about? yes By Trophic Caltrop (Leopardspots) on Tuesday, December 21, 2004 - 02:39 pm: If the story had been published, would the publication's readership have been surprised at the decision to publish? no By Trophic Caltrop (Leopardspots) on Tuesday, December 21, 2004 - 02:42 pm: What would an average person, who knew nothing about you other than the fact you like to write short stories, think of you after hearing the reason? this is not a question with a "yes or no" answer Would they hold you in higher or lower regard (however slight)? certainly not higher, maybe no difference, maybe slightly lower | ||
| Felicia Nimue Ackerman (Nimue)
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y Trophic Caltrop (Leopardspots) on Wednesday, December 22, 2004 - 10:16 am: I've been missed out! Rectified, with my apologies. I cast me never to be so wicked again | ||
| David Burn (Woubit)
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Has the story anything to do with weather forecasters? | ||
| Felicia Nimue Ackerman (Nimue)
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y David Burn (Woubit) on Friday, December 24, 2004 - 07:03 pm: Has the story anything to do with weather forecasters? YES!!!! | ||
| Shawn Franchi (Doctapeppa)
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Did it have anything to do with weather forecasting by weather forcasters? or something else? | ||
| Felicia Nimue Ackerman (Nimue)
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By Shawn Franchi (Doctapeppa) on Friday, December 24, 2004 - 09:01 pm: Did it have anything to do with weather forecasting by weather forcasters? yes or something else? anything else is irrel | ||
| David Burn (Woubit)
|
Did the magazine also publish a weather forecast? | ||
| Felicia Nimue Ackerman (Nimue)
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y David Burn (Woubit) on Friday, December 31, 2004 - 01:34 am: Did the magazine also publish a weather forecast? no | ||
| Eliot (Eliot)
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Was there a specific forecast made? By you? My some other author? If so, was it correct? Did you story have to do with weather? Was weather briefly mentioned? | ||
| Felicia Nimue Ackerman (Nimue)
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y Eliot (Eliot) on Friday, December 31, 2004 - 02:32 pm: Was there a specific forecast made?yope By you? no My some other author? no If so, was it correct? yope Did you story have to do with weather? yes Was weather briefly mentioned? no | ||
| Tommy Petersson (Tommyp)
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Were there TWO forecasts made? more? Was the weather in your story pleasant? harsh? catastrophical? | ||
| Felicia Nimue Ackerman (Nimue)
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By Tommy Petersson (Tommyp) on Friday, December 31, 2004 - 08:34 pm: Were there TWO forecasts made? yes more? yes Was the weather in your story pleasant? yes harsh? yes catastrophical? no | ||
| David Burn (Woubit)
|
I also don't like "Daffodils", which is all I know of Wordsworth. Two voices are there: one is of the deep; It learns the storm-cloud's thunderous melody, Now roars, now murmurs with the changing sea, Now bird-like pipes, now closes soft in sleep: And one is of an old half-witted sheep Which bleats articulate monotony, And indicates that two and one are three, That grass is green, lakes damp, and mountains steep: And, Wordsworth, both are thine: at certain times Forth from the heart of thy melodious rhymes, The form and pressure of high thoughts will burst: At other times - good Lord! I'd rather be Quite unacquainted with the ABC Than write such hopeless rubbish as thy worst. J K Stephen Did the editors recognise your story as fiction? | ||
| Felicia Nimue Ackerman (Nimue)
|
By David Burn (Woubit) on Saturday, January 01, 2005 - 06:19 pm: I also don't like "Daffodils", which is all I know of Wordsworth. Two voices are there: one is of the deep; It learns the storm-cloud's thunderous melody, Now roars, now murmurs with the changing sea, Now bird-like pipes, now closes soft in sleep: And one is of an old half-witted sheep Which bleats articulate monotony, And indicates that two and one are three, That grass is green, lakes damp, and mountains steep: And, Wordsworth, both are thine: at certain times Forth from the heart of thy melodious rhymes, The form and pressure of high thoughts will burst: At other times - good Lord! I'd rather be Quite unacquainted with the ABC Than write such hopeless rubbish as thy worst. Well. . . a slight overstatement but a delightful poem J K Stephen Did the editors recognise your story as fiction? yes | ||
| Shawn Franchi (Doctapeppa)
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were you the weather forcaster making two or more weather forcasts? | ||
| Eliot (Eliot)
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Was the weather in your story the same as in the other piece of writing involved? | ||
| Felicia Nimue Ackerman (Nimue)
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By Shawn Franchi (Doctapeppa) on Sunday, January 02, 2005 - 08:01 am: were you the weather forcaster making two or more weather forcasts? no By Eliot (Eliot) on Sunday, January 02, 2005 - 02:00 pm: Was the weather in your story the same as in the other piece of writing involved? no | ||
| David Burn (Woubit)
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I've lost the plot, as usual - was this other piece of writing about the weather? did the editors simply decide that they didn't want to run two stories about the weather in the same issue? | ||
| Felicia Nimue Ackerman (Nimue)
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By David Burn (Woubit) on Sunday, January 02, 2005 - 08:18 pm: I've lost the plot, as usual - was this other piece of writing about the weather? did the editors simply decide that they didn't want to run two stories about the weather in the same issue? This is close enough for me to declare a **** SPOILER ******* I once had a short story (in Playgirl,I must add just to impress you with the highly intellectual places where I publish) thst was about a weather forecaster. A few months later, I sent them another short story that had little in common with the first except that it was also about a weather forecaster. It was rejected wuth the explanation, " We really can't publish two stories about weather forecasting so close together." Don't you think that qualifies as unique in the history of rejections? Of course, it's because the topic is so peculiar. I'm sure they would never tell anyone,"We really can't publish two stories about divorce so close together." Thanks for solving it, Woubit, & please check out my much harder puzzle at the bottom of the page. | ||
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