"The writing shows a lot of promise, but I'm afraid the story ultimately rests on too many misunderstandings to move the plot and romance forward."
"I really enjoyed the fast pace and the fresh storyline, but I'm sorry to report that I didn't fall head over heels for the novel as a whole."
These are just a couple of excerpts from my own little pile of rejection letters. And being the Queen of "I know there's some hidden meaning in there somewhere", I've often wondered if those phrases mean exactly what they say. As a writer who adores the concept of subtext, I could drive myself crazy thinking about it.
But ultimately, when I receive a rejection, I just have to content myself with the fact that the editor just didn't love my story enough to buy it. Or that I'm just not quite there yet. Either way, it means the same thing. Keep writing and keep submitting.
Starting today, Louisa is dedicating her Wednesday blogs to decoding rejection letters. Working as an editor at Berkley for 4 years has given her a bit of experience with the matter. If you want her to decode your rejection letter, just send it to her at: mledwards@mac.com. Oh, and make sure you put the word "Rejection" in the subject line.
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3 comments:
As a writer who adores the concept of subtext, I could drive myself crazy thinking about it.
You DO drive yourself crazy thinking about it.
Just wanted to clear that up.
Love you!
Keep the faith, Maria! And remember, you don't write for the bean counters; you write because you love it. And know that there will always be a job for you in L&D (not sure if that is supposed to make you feel better or worse). Anyway, I believe in you! And if you ever actually let me read The War Bride, I would give you my expert opinion. :-)
I agree...keep the faith!
I hope folks get the courage to take Louisa up on the rejections decoding. It's a great idea.
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