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Dec 22, 2009, 1:10am

Bahamas Writer Forums - Forums of inspiration for writers worldwide! :: Critiques :: Writers' Reviews :: The Child Queen

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Topic: The Child Queen (Read 154 times)

chris
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The Child Queen
« Thread Started on Oct 27, 2008, 8:04am »

As some of you have already read it, most of you are familiar with my short story "The Child Queen".

If not, please check here: http://www.bahamaswriter.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=836

I've recently sent it off for consideration to a fantasy/horror magazine, and although I'm awaiting news of rejection I still have hope that the small pay and minimal recognition will pay off bigger in the long run if I am published. So wish me luck!

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Fay
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Re: The Child Queen
« Reply #1 on Oct 29, 2008, 10:12pm »

Well done, Chris

It's so important to get our work off to prospective publishers. They'll never stand a chance of being published unless we do

Good luck! Keep us posted.

Best wishes,
Fay

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chris
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Re: The Child Queen
« Reply #2 on Oct 30, 2008, 8:19am »

I received my rejection notice yesterday, just another to add to the collection. Stephen King says that when he began submitting work for publication that he drove a small nail into the wall and would stick each rejection slip on it, until it held so many that he would have use a bigger nail or start a fresh nail. I don't quite have that kind of setup myself, as all of mine are electronically submitted and rejected, but I do have a folder in my email just for each and every rejection slip I receive. I can't be rejected all the time.

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Fay
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Re: The Child Queen
« Reply #3 on Oct 30, 2008, 8:36pm »

Don't feel bad, Chris. I just received a rejection from Flash Fiction Online for my Christmas Tree story. I find the fiction market much harder to break into than non fiction.

Remember, some of the successful authors who received umpteen rejections before getting published are:-

John Creasy (774 rejections before selling his first story)

Alex Haley (200 rejections before “Roots”)

Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen (“Chicken Soup for the Soul” turned down by 33 publishers before it became a best seller and then a successful series)

Mary Higgins Clark (40 rejections before selling her first story)

Dr. Seuss (his first book was rejected 24 times)

Louis L’Amour (200 rejections before he sold his first novel)

Norman Mailer (“The Naked and the Dead” was rejected 12 times)

And we’ve all heard how F. Scott Fitzgerald papered his bedroom walls with rejection slips before he eventually sold a story!

Don't give up, Chris! Keep on trying.

Best wishes,
Fay

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romantico
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Re: The Child Queen
« Reply #4 on Oct 30, 2008, 10:06pm »

Rejection is something every writer has to contend with--for good or ill. Unknown writers are often brushed aside, even though their work may be excellent; while famous authors have even sub-standard work accepted with enthusiasm. That's just the way it goes. . . .

I believe it was Joyce Carol Oates who sent a novel to her publisher under an assumed name, only to have it returned almost immediately. She sent it back under her real name, and of course it was accepted without hesitation! In England recently, someone at the Jane Austen Centre in Bath had the bright idea of submitting manuscripts of Austen novels to publishers under the name of A. Laydee. They changed the titles and the names of characters, but everything else remained the same. Only one editor even recognized the famous opening of "Pride and Prejudice." Everyone else just sent a polite rejection letter. That just shows that even a classic novelist has a tough time breaking into print these days.

Don't despair, Chris. As the song says, PERSEVERE!

Best,
Paul

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chris
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Re: The Child Queen
« Reply #5 on Oct 31, 2008, 5:17am »

Eventually, one day, I might give up. For now, however, I'll just keep working on the stories that come to mind. I didn't have any expectations from "The Child Queen", honestly, as it isn't exactly one of my best; but the short fiction market is a little crazy and sometimes it easier to sell 1500 words than it is to sell 6000. I continue to work as best I can, although I admit is rather lackadaisical most times and diligent only in bursts. I've always wanted to be a writer, but its never been for the money, fame, or status; I just want to tell stories to the world. In recent years, with the events I've undergone in my life, I've realized I don't want to be that guy who tries and tries and tries. I don't want to be that 18 year old high school who joins the army and aces basic so he can whoop ass and carry a gun, only to have his plane shot down before he arrives at his first post. I have priorities in my life that must come first, and though I'm nowhere near ready to give up yet, I know eventually I will have to. Until that day, let's just see how many stories I can tell and who will listen to them.

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