how I know I'm not a professional (yet)

[ritaxis]

So, I had this attack story which fit no guidelines I knew about. I saw a set of guidelines which was remotely like the story, but different in significant ways (including length). Knowing this to be a longshot, I queried the length requirement and the publisher graciously invited me to send the story along. Very soon after I received a polite rejection mentioning a couple of reasons why it didn't work for them along with a little faint praise.

I wanted to argue with them and pout and stuff. I wanted to tell them they didn't know what they were talking about, that the story was perfect for anybody just as it is.

I really had no call to: the story was not really what they had asked for and the terms they used to tell me why they didn't want it were perfectly reasonable.

But the story has no home, and I'm grumpy about it because I like it.


Oh well. It's not quite true it has no home: there's a couple of nonpaying outfits that would love it. Not overlapping in any way with the paying world.

On another front, I queried Firefox News about whether they'd like any articles about water issues for the science fiction writer.

This is entirely coincidental to the fact that I spent the day learning a whole new set of water quality tests for the dry-season Urban Watch program. I am now a volunteer employee of NOAA, I signed the papers (this only entitles me to workers' comp if I break my shoulder slipping around the creeksides or something).

Comments

[julesjones]

If that is what I think it is, and you're willing to try ebooks, check the guidelines for Changling Press and see if it fits there.

Am feeling peeved today, because once again I am here on my own, Other Half away and me with the car, and once again I am too sick to drive even as far as David's, never mind over to your place. :-(

[nancylebov.livejournal.com]

I think you're being very professional about this. You researched publisher requirements, you asked instead of just sending the story in, you sent the story in when you got a positive reply, you haven't sent a nasty letter to the publisher, and you haven't given up on the story or on writing.

Being grumpy about being turned down seems like a pretty ordinary human reaction. My notion of being professional is being sensible about the requirements of doing high-quality work, not never being pissy about the results when you're disappointed.

My guess is that the sort of detachment you're hoping for might happen when you've been through this sort of thing a bunch of times, but if you don't get that sort of detachment, it's no big deal.

My impression is that plenty of professional writers care alot about whether their work is accepted. It's only money and fame (or at least exposure), after all.