I’ve just being going through my spam box. I am expecting an email which hasn’t arrived, and was checking it hadn’t been rejected in error. It hadn’t. It’s a depressing place – I have won several prizes in competitions I haven’t entered, have numerous parcels needing to be collected, have to step in to stop various things being cancelled and have had to ignore several requests for sexual favours from women with exotic names.
Julia says they are all actually likely to be from sweaty men working in distant call centres, including the ones from the “women”. It’s a relief in a way – I really don’t need a car care kit or an electric drill, or a mystery package, and my days of exotic women are definitely in the past. Apart from being married, I’m entering that phase of my life where Pointless and a nice cup of tea hold more attractions than erotic adventures. Anyway, as I may have mentioned, getting my trousers on and off is something of a trial these days.
It’s going to be a tough month. Having done my submissions I sat back and reflected on the likely success rate as many of them had been out before and some of them were rushed. One was going to an editor who has never accepted a haibun off me in six years. Derrick asked why I sent things to him. It’s a good question. There are several answers to this. One is that rejection keeps my feet on the ground. I have had some very successful runs of acceptances, but it’s always good to remember that it’s nor assured. A second is that you need constant rejections to stay immune from their demoralising effects. And third is the need to have targets – I’ve set 100 submissions as this year’s target, and I have minor targets like wearing down certain editors who constantly reject me.
I have already had one reply, as I mentioned, asking for a few alterations to one piece. I have now had a second reply rejecting a second lot. It’s one of “those” rejections, he ones that seem helpful but close with the comment that you should read XYZ for more pointers. I’ve had several like that over the years and always wonder why they think I haven’t read XYZ, particularly when it’s been a fixture on the website for the last five years.
Anyway, it was good news in a way. After slightly polishing two of them I am now in a position to submit all three rejected pieces to another magazine this month. It’s a system that has worked before. It’s important to remember that a rejection is only a sign of one editor’s opinion and other editors may have different opinions.
My Orange Parker Pen
Good luck Simon! I agree, I think they will be successful. I am still looking forward to buying the book of poems you will write someday, so I consider this all progress in that direction. 🙂
I’m still trying . . . 🙂
Good luck with the resubmissions. I feel that they are going to be very successful.
I had an acceptance tonight, so I am more cheerful. Once I have a few more decisions I will start the February submissions. 😉
Excellent news.
Thank you. I am trying to maintain a sense of proportion – two five line poems are not going to make a major contribution to the world of lieterature.
😂
Good to set a submission target. Here’s hoping…
It’s a lot simpler to do it this way rather than be specific. 🙂
It will be a chapter in my masterwork on planning, organising and avoiding procrastination. (That’s the book I’m going to start writing tomorrow). Now if you’ll excuse me, I have 91 more to do and can’t sit round chatting all day . . .
Seems to me your approach to rejections is very practical. Wish I could have a similar philosophy.
To be fair, when you write a book you have invented characters, universes, a story and then you have spent months putting it together. I have had an idea, put down a couple of hundred words and spent a few hours on it at most (though they may be spread over two or three years). Rejection for me is an inconvenience which happens nearly every month. In my early days I deliberately over-stretched myself to get rejections. After the first six months the pain of rejection faded. Anyway, I’m arrogant and rejection is a failure of taste by the editor, not a failure of my technique. 🙂 You must know from your own experience that editors have to reject good pieces for all sorts of reasons. On the other hand, I can’t imagine what it would be like to write something like you do and have it rejected.
Anyway, how are you all? I was thinking about you the other day, living on the lawless northern border with all those cut-throat, drug-smuggling, illegally immigrating Canadians?
Yes, those Canadians are quite a problem. 😉 Alas, we are the problem. On a personal level, we are all fine. As a country…heartbreaking. Just heartbreaking.
As long as you and the family are all well it is a good start. You can’t take the worries of the world on your shoulders.
I liked the bonus of having someone to wear down in your response to my comment
It is, I feel, important to have targets. 🙂