After over a hundred days of waiting I heard from Pill Hill Press last night! They accepted my necromancer story, Queen of Bones, for their fall anthology: Flesh and Bones, Rise of the Necromancers. I've sent a few stories to Pill Hill for their anthologies, and this is the first one to get in!
Everyone should check out their website because they have many more anthologies going on: a apocalyptic one, a Dixie undead one, a bloody carnival one. Writing short stories has improved my novel writing skills immensely. You have to pack everything into 3k-10k words, and the action can never slow down too much.
On the query front, I received a rejection on a partial *sad face* this week. That leaves only 3 more partials out there with agents. I try to keep working on my fifth book, but after a while I feel like these rejections are wearing me down.
Do you get worn down by rejections?
Is anyone going to try for a Pill Hill Press anthology?
27 comments:
Congrats! How exciting. I'm sure when I get to the rejection part it will bum me out.
Congrats on the short story!! Sorry to hear about the rejection; I'm not there yet, but I know it'll wear me down.
Sorry, Aubrie. That's my deleted comment above. I think my brain wasn't connecting with my fingers. So here's trying again!
Congratulations on the acceptance! Sounds like you've perfected the short story form. Is it your favorite form to write in? Short story and novel both have their challenges. The novel requires so much energy, which is one reason, when I finish my long memoir, that I want to write a young adult novel that's sitting in my head. YAs don't have to be as long as the "average" adult novel.
Rejections are discouraging, but we just have to keep trying.
Have a wonderful weekend.
Ann
Congrats on the short story, Aubrie! I'm totally worn down by rejections, but you have to let the positives outweigh the negatives.
Keep moving forward!
Congrats on your story acceptance! Rejections suck, but you can't let them get to you. Take two minutes to mourn and move on. Send it out again. It's time for me to send a few more queries, too.
...a wonderful achievement for you!
The many rejections are like all the doubters in our lives, trying to speak down to us, trying to steal our dream. As writers we need spines formed of lead, thick and steadfast and prepared to deal with any obstacle standing in our way. And when the acceptance comes at last...that's when we know it was worth it:)
Congrats on the anthology! Pill Hill has a great set of titles. I have stories in a few of them.
Don't ever let rejections slow you down. They sting but it's better to write out the hurt. You might end up with a great short story out of it too!
Congrats on the acceptance - something good to balance out the rejection.
I do get worn down. It's hard not to! But then... it's part of the game, I suppose, and makes any acceptance that much sweeter!
Wonderful news for you! I keep wanting to try a short story, but I'm a natural novel writer and the shorts don't come to me naturally.
Congrats on the anthology- that's awesome!
Rejections do wear me down, but I've found they can also push me to make my manuscript better.
Congrats on the acceptance!
I know how you feel about rejection...it's much the same with art.
Sometimes it takes all I've got to try to keep it going.
Congrats on the anthology...that is definitely a Plus!
Congrats on the acceptance! I just sent them a story for that anthology last night. I also have a flash piece that I'm waiting to hear back from with their Daily Bites of Flesh and a piece shortlisted for their Shadows and Light II anthology. I would love to be able to break into their market!
Sorry about the rejection. :( I received several on Monday but lately, it seems like the agents are quiet. Probably the season, I would guess. Good luck on your other partial requests!
Much congratulations on the exciting news!! Being accepted into an anthology is awesome!
I'm sorry about the rejection, keep your chin up, it'll happen one day. When you feel down, just remember there are many other people who wish to see you succeed on this journey.
Congrats on the short story acceptance. There's nothing like good news to help soften the rejection blows. I figure rejection is part of the biz, but it still stinks, especially if I've worked really hard on something and/or I don't know where else to send it.
Hey, congrats on your acceptance!! I can't believe how many stories you have published!
Yeah, rejections totally can wear me down. It's nice to stop querying for a while.
Woo Hoo on the acceptance. You go girlfriend.
And you bet on the rejections. Give yourself some regroup time.
Fantastic news on the acceptance.
Rejections suck :-(
Well done!
I need to work on shorts - I really suck at them! I totally agree they are a good way to tighten your writing.
Congratulations on your acceptance! That's news to celebrate. :) I don't write nearly as many short stories as I should. I know they're great for improving writing skills, especially in making every word count. I just don't think I'm very good at them. Sounds like you are, though!
Aubrie, congratulations on your acceptance in the anthology, how wonderful! I think you're so brave to enter. I haven't gotten up the guts yet. And bummer about the partial. Hang in there!
~that rebel, Olivia
Congrats!! Thats super exciting!
Congratulations!! Bummer about the rejection, but at least you've got more irons in the fire. It just means you're a step closer to finding the right person.
Congrats on the Short Stories.
Totally understand about the rejections, but remember they are not completely rejecting you, they are just passing you up. It's their loss. Keep moving forward.
Rejections are always going to have some effect. They unlock that door to the hateful beast, 'doubt', for me. But I dig in and push him back in the cage and move forward.
K, I don't know if this will work or not, blogger is posting all my comments at least twice...
First, congratulations! That's so cool, imagine how many people will be exposed to your work now! *clapping and cheering*
As for the rejection, all I can say is don't give up or in. There are people (me) out here who believe in you and that you have something wonderful to offer. Your stories are like pieces of a rainbow-shimmery, gossamer, and deceptively strong....and no one can write them but you.
Yes, rejection can be truly soul-sucking. There are stages of it: the first few sting, the next few are easier to deal with, but after many, it can be so difficult! This is why it's so critical to have writer-friends to give you a boost when you need it and let you rant when you're down. Without my writer buds, I honestly don't know if I would have been able to keep going in the face of the many ups and downs of our chosen profession!
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