Well, darn. I guess that frees me up to expand it. I really liked the title Finding Mr. Darcy, and thought I could build a novella around it, so now I can.
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Really Bummed
Well, darn. I guess that frees me up to expand it. I really liked the title Finding Mr. Darcy, and thought I could build a novella around it, so now I can.
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26 comments:
When you have confidence in your own writing, know you are a good writer, meet all the criteria for a WW romance, the rejections can be terribly frustrating, can't they, Kate? I got two more stories back this week, and I think I am just about through with Woman's World. They have one more of my stories in their shop and I think that is probably the end. I am tired of spinning my wheels there with too-long stories so Johnene can "edit" them. I have enough for a small book.
She explained to me that she doesn't want to see a 700 word story because "I like to do my own editing". I think a story is either publishable or it isn't.
Now I need to know how to write a novella. Is there a market? Good luck with yours, Kate.
Frustrated isn't the emotion I feel when I get a rejection. Well, okay maybe for about thirty seconds, I feel frustrated. After that, I usually feel puzzled, and then resigned.
I think Johnene's editing is pretty masterful. I didn't even detect most of the tweaking she did to my last published story. And I can see how an editor is probably more amenable to shaving bits off than adding to someone else's vision. Most of the time, the stuff they shave off wasn't necessary in the first place.
The only way you're ever going to get something published without it being edited, is to self-publish, which looks like the road you're heading toward. Me? I LOVE being edited. I am confident I write good stories, but I'm just as confident they're not perfect and I adore getting help so I can get them as close to perfect as they can be. :)
Hi Kate - rejection is a horrible thing. But I know you will persevere and your story will find a home :-)
I would certainly agree, a good editor is a blessing, and I have had such in the past.
However, I think a story as short as a WW romance should be almost print-ready. That's what the guidelines are for.
Of course, this is only my personal opinion, drawn from my own experience, Kate. Obviously, you disagree with me and perhaps the other followers of your blog do too.
By the way, I love Jane Austen and look forward to your Darcy story. Maybe Johnene missed a good thing?
Bummer, Kate.
The problem is they have too much choice.
Sorry about the rejection, Kate. I just sent out a story that I really like and hope it will be my first sale to them. I'll be disappointed if I get a rejection letter once again.
About editing, personally I'm at a point in life where I don't mind it as long as I get a byline and a check.
Thanks, Diane.
Mary Jo, we'll have to agree to disagree. I think the length of the story is immaterial. Stuff needs editing. It needs to be looked at by someone who didn't write it because we writers get too close to our material and sometimes can't see the forest.
Good luck, Tracie! Exactly. I feel the same way, especially considering the story is only available for a week.
Did people want to see the Darcy story?
I'd like to see it, Kate. I sure wish I understood that rejection comment though. Can't they just mention why it doesn't work for them? Although she did make a comment on one of my stories as to why she didn't think it worked and yet I did what they do all the time in what they published, so it didn't make any sense to me. Oh, well.
You know, here's how I see it. She's a busy lady. Can you imagine how long it would take to personalize rejection letters? Plus, even when she does explain, sometimes we still don't understand. :) LOL I'm cool with not knowing. Sometimes I read a book that "doesn't work for me," and if someone asked me to say why, I wouldn't be able to figure out what's wrong.
Kate,I also would like to see your Darcy story. It sounds like a real original compared with most WW stories. Do you suppose that is the problem?
I wonder just how many of the 2500(?) per month stories Patricia sends on to Johnene? Maybe she doesn't actually see that many of them. I picture Patricia wading through the great pile and choosing only the best she can find for Johnene to consider.
Yes, we will have to agree to disagree about the editing. In a short-short story, I believe a writer must carefully choose each and every word in order to be effective. The shorter the story, the more careful an editor should be not to malign the intended work with pointless changes. Are there any editors out there with a point of view?
I am having a lot of trouble with the code words in order to send this.
The first time I had a story edited it stung a bit, because I wrongly interpreted it as criticism. I understand the necessity for it now, and I'd much rather have J cut words than add them. I have had no complaints when it comes to WW, I think they go above and beyond what they need to. Now if I could just figure out why my string of sales has been followed by a string of rejections!
What Jimmy Meiss said to a friend of mine was that she sent her choices out to Johnene "in a big box." Sounds as though it might be a large number, but, of course, I don't know how often she sent them. I am somewhere in between Mary Jo and Kate on editing. Many changes are unnecessary, and with changes come opportunities for mistakes. I also understand that they have to tailor the stories to the WW style that seems to be working for them. And, I, too, am having problems with the anti-robot words we must type in.
Curses. I hit the wrong button and sent my message prematurely (and, of course, this time my anti-robot word was correct), so I am identified as "Anonymous". It's actually me Tamara beginning "What Jimmy Meiss said..."
LOL. I turned the word verification off, but if I start getting a lot of spam, I might turn it back on.
Tamara, that had to be you! Maybe you could put your name in before you write your comment? Glad you turned the messy word thing off, Kate, and let's hope for the best.
I think the WW guidelines are specific enough that any submission should already be fit for their demographics. So far as I know, there is no listing of a limited vocabulary. Is there one that is "understood"--like the names of characters?
I'm with you Betsi. It's the "augmenting" that simply floored me.
I understand that Johnene also edits the mystery stories. Do any of you write and publish those "cozies"? What is her practice there?
I'm taking your advice, Mary Jo; typed my name in first. I've sent some mysteries; had one published so far. She poked holes in a couple of them and also used that dreaded "DWFM" (doesn't work for me)phrase on a couple.
Isn't writing a "mystery" much more difficult than doing a little romance? Every step has to be worked out carefully, I would think, to lead to the conclusion. How can Johnene's style of "editing" work there and still leave the story intact for the reader to solve? It seems I am not a mystery writer, but I would like to give it a try. I probably need a better grasp on the process.
For me the trick is thinking up a clue, then creating a story around it. I have trouble thinking of them, so I don't write as many mysteries; just started last year. I stole one clue from a Lifetime movie and made up my own characters and story line. Johnene didn't believe the clue, and I wanted to shout, "It worked in the movie," but, of course, I couldn't do that.
Tamara, I have my clue. I even have my characters, but I am floundering on my story line. Maybe this just isn't for me.
They are harder to write, in my experience, even though I'm sort of a crime buff and wrote a book on an unsolved murder (I didn't solve it). Keep thinking; something may come to you.
I've already gotten some spam junk in comments. I might have to turn it back on.
I think you might be surprised at the bad stories that Patricia gets, despite their guidelines.
I can't write the mysteries. I've tried and failed. It's just not my thing. I'll stick to what I do well. :)
Yes, Kate. I have a feeling Patty shoves plenty of them right back into the envelopes after reading one page or less. Editors probably tell each other horror stories. Put the robot-detector back on if you need to --you have my blessing.
Kate, can you use a different kind of "human" test for your blog comments? The "black" word is sometimes impossible to read and is quite discouraging.
I see that some writers get a few stories published on the romance page in WW and then you may not see them again for a couple of years. How does that work, I wonder?
If you have posted all of Hall's stories, it has been two years since she last had a story there. Is this correct?
I, too, have noticed a name appearing frequently and then not showing up for a long time. I have gone a few years at a time without writing a story, so my name has disappeared for times. And, I once started two romances that sat on my computer for a few years, because I couldn't think of a snappy ending for either one. I finished them both within two months of each other and one was published.
Would love to read this story. Sounds very interesting!
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