Slushpiles Galore! Tuesday, February 03, 2004 Teresa Neilsen Hayden wrote a wonderful journal entry about slush piles from the editor's side. Check it out at http://nielsenhayden.com/makinglight/ Along with Neil Gaiman's journal, it's really essential blog reading for writers. I also like her husband's journal. Make sure to read the comments, as well. She says that the comments are the best part...and for me, they're a who's who of people I've done book reviews of, which makes it sort of nervous making when I add my voice to the pot. Anyway, it focuses on rejectionletters dot com, a site that allows writers to post rejections and make comments. Now I thought the few comments I made about rejection letters might not be the wisest things to do in the world, no matter how carefully I couched them, but this site just seems like career suicide. Anyway, the only rejection letters I don't like are the ones where I can pretty much prove the editor didn't read it. I don't mind people reading the first chapters and passing. Heck, go ahead and pass after the first page, if you want, life is short, I've done the same. But don't skim, and make comments on what you skimmed, both because, at least I, will sit there and go, but I proved that here, and here, and here, and I'll get an ulcer trying to decide whether I made a mistake and need to fix it. I've looked back on rejection letters (the last one I got for Blue Moon was wonderful, and pointed out two things I really needed to fix) and after you get past the original dissapointment, they can be quite helpful, if the editor spends time on it. And so, my comment on, "If you're not going to buy it, don't tell me why, just dump it." May have been hasty. And some of the rejection letters, at least the ones she focused on, would have been a cause to celebrate. Oh, who am I kidding? I can't really say that I like any rejection letters. But some are actually much more easy to live with than others....and if you look at it in a optimisitic light (Hey, she wrote a two page rejection, rather than sending me a form letter! I'm moving up!) then they can make you feel good. And if you let them, they'll help you. The key is to try and step aside, decide if what they're saying really does work, use that, and move on. I like to save up comments from a few rejection letters, then use what I've "learned" all at once. I don't use everything they say, but some of it. See? I will be the perfect writer. I will be graceful. I will be dignified. Even if it kills me. Permalink Cindy scribed this at 1:07 PM 0 comments

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