Have I slipped into the twilight zone?

[Marc Joan]

I get the feeling I'm in one of those apocalyptic doomsday films where I'm the only one alive on the planet. Nobody answers my emails. The cat ignores me. I haven't even had the normal daily rejection. What is going on? Is there anybody out there?

 

[Katie-Ellen]

Boo.

 

[Marc Joan]

Anyway, how do I know that's the real KTLN...

 

[KG Christopher]

A Turing Test for writers??? now that could be interesting.

Talk to yourself if you are suffering rejection, I do it all the time, sometimes to the concern of others, especially on the train.

 

[Marc Joan]

To pass the Writer's Turing Test, you have to convince me that you actually care about the Oxford comma, in words that show but don't tell.

 

[KG Christopher]

Was thinking more like...

'Have you read game of Thrones?'

'Yes'

'Really?'

'Yes'

 

[Katie-Ellen]

 

[Marc Joan]

You are spending far too much time on the internet

 

[Katie-Ellen]

Went there specially.

E-s-p-e-ci-al-l-y and because I am my doppelganger and it's nearly tea-time.

 

[Marc Joan]

Both of you?

 

[Robinne Weiss]

I love the Oxford comma. It is incredibly useful when you want to make a long list, include phrases in a list, or if you simply want to make that last item stand out. The Oxford comma is particularly helpful if someone is trying to read your work aloud, if the ideas contained in your writing are complex, or if you want to annoy the shit out of someone who hates the Oxford comma.

 

[Robinne Weiss]

Ah, I suppose I told and showed in that response. Perhaps, if you're feeling particularly disconnected from the world you could take a walk down a busy street, send out a few hundred query letters, or hang out here in Litopia. (see what I did there?)

 

[Patricia D]

I get the feeling I'm in one of those apocalyptic doomsday films where I'm the only one alive on the planet. Nobody answers my emails. The cat ignores me. I haven't even had the normal daily rejection. What is going on? Is there anybody out there?

I'm feeling the same way. Last month, I submitted half a dozen short stories to various pubs, and then silence. At this point a rejection would be reassuring.

 

[Paul Whybrow]

I keep humming the theme music to the Twilight Zone!

 

[Patricia D]

An now I'm about to disappear - virtual me, anyway. Maybe not disappear, fade is probably more accurate because there is the phone and various commercial establishments offering access, but I will not be settled and with my own Internet access until early June. Maybe, when I return, someone will have tried to contact me.

 

[AgentPete]

Come back soon... you will be missed!

 

[Peggy Lou]

I thought I was the only one who misses rejection letters. So you are not alone in the world. Neither am I.
Maybe others are out there.

 

[Paul Whybrow]

Talking of The Twilight Zone, there's a memorable episode called A Nice Place to Visit, which is one of the most thoughtful pieces of drama I've seen. It should be watched by anyone who's struggling through life, especially we writers who are looking for our lucky break.

The premise of the plot is an intriguing one: imagine how you'd feel if everything you did worked in your favour, that one perfect day followed another without end...how would that make you feel?

This link explains exactly what happens, but if you don't want to read spoilers watch it on Youtube first:

 

[Geoff]

Are rejection emails in the same league as rejection letters? I do find it surprising that sometimes publishers / agents can't find the time to send a simple email stating 'no thank you'.

 

[Robinne Weiss]

I, too, feel rejection letters are important to my sense of well-being. Though I'm not sending out queries for my novels at the moment, I've made sure to keep short stories going out, if only to keep the rejections coming in. Rejections acknowledge your existence, your effort, and your humanity. I'm not sure publishers and agents recognise how important that is to authors slogging away in silence at their computers.

 

[Chase Gamwell]

Same thing here, Marc. It's like I've made it onto some kind of list. And not the good kind...

 

[Robinne Weiss]

Give me your addresses, and I'll send you a snarky rejection letter.

 

[Chase Gamwell]

Give me your addresses, and I'll send you a snarky rejection letter.

Can we somehow turn this into a paid service for dejected writers? Is that too sadistic?

 

[Marc Joan]

Well, I'd buy it. Is that masochistic?

 

[SueRoe]

You're not alone! The "three months" or "12 weeks" period that publishers and agents stipulate is coming up soooooon. And no-one's replied :-( *feeling unloved* Tell you what, let's send each other rejection letters. Things that say, "I didn't fall in love with it. I didn't want to marry it"...

 

[Marc Joan]

Dear Writer,

We liked your piece of prose/poetry*, but didn't think it was the right fit for us at this time. We wish you the best of luck in placing this elsewhere. LOL.**

*delete as appropriate
**definitely delete before sending to author

 

[Robinne Weiss]

Dear Dejected Writer,
Thank you for your submission, whose title I can't remember. I was impressed by your sample chapters. You write with a strong voice, and your characters are lively and realistic. The plot progressed well, and there were some intriguing elements. In fact, your manuscript was perfect in every way, but I just don't think it's a fit for Boffo Books. Because of the small volume of titles we handle, we need to be confident that every title is commercially viable. Yours, while good, isn't the sort of book our readers--divorced men over the age of 45 who enjoy cross dressing, cricket, and vegetarian sushi with avocado--would buy. Remember that this is just one opinion, and you may have success with other publishers. Good luck with your manuscript.
Kind regards,
Mona Carbondale
Underpaid Intern

 

[Marc Joan]

But I'm not divorced...

 

[Marc Joan]

Darn! RUn out of veggie sushi again...

 

[David Newrick]

I do hope that you are taking the publishing industry seriously!