One to Remember
November 3, 1999
5:02 a.m.
My usual approach when I get a rejection is to quietly up the Accept-o-Matic and move on to something else. Rejections happen, you know? Yeah, we all know. You can't be working to be a writer for too long before coming face-to-face with the need to develop a moderately thick skin. Along the way I picked up the standard set of rejections--form letters, personalized notes, requests for rewrites, checked off boxes, and even my favorite: "This story barks." But this one was so unique I just thought I should mention it. I mean, it's not every day I get a rejection on a story that's been out since 1996. That's right. I just received a rejection from Century (who says in their rejection that they are, without a doubt putting out another issue). It had been out 1152 days by my records. Don't ask me why I kept it on the clock--maybe it's my morbid curiosity. I had queried several times, and never received a single word back. After documenting my efforts for all that time, I eventually just wrote the piece off and moved on. The story has, in fact, already been purchased by another magazine. But three years on a short story rejection is quite an achievement, I think. I stood there for a minute looking at the rejection. The first sheet of the manuscript was thoughtfully included so that I would know what story they were rejecting. I couldn't help but grin. Do you know all the things that have happened since I submitted this piece of paper to Century? Well, let's see: I've had 11 stories published in professional paying magazines, and 5 more purchased and sitting in the pipelines. I've given two Writers of the Future acceptance speeches. I've seen one of my stories be placed on the Preliminary Nebula ballot. I've written a ton of words. I've made a lot of friends and very pleasant acquaintances in the publishing world. Brigid has gone through three grades. Lisa is now a full-time freelance copy editor, and has worked on some of her favorite authors' stuff. Before I submitted this piece of paper to Century, Celine Dion had never sung "My Heart Will Go On," and Titanic had not been seen by a single teenager. No one had heard of Monica Lewinsky. Netscape ruled the Internet. Ginger Spice was still ... well ... Ginger Spice (I think). Before this piece of paper, there was no Livin' La Vida Loco (did I spell that right?), Natalie Imbrulia was but a soap star, Lilith Fair was a fresh new idea. E-bay was no way. Michael Jordan was still a basketball player. Yes, I could go on and on, but my point is made. My point? Well, obviously, it's chaos theory. You've heard of the butterfly and the wing flapping and the hurricane in China right? Well, I think this sheet of paper is that butterfly. Isn't it obvious? If I hadn't sent this paper to Century to weigh down Rob Killheffer's desk for three years, then none of the rest of this stuff would have happened just the way it had. This paper affected the molecules around it, which, in turn affected the molecules around them, which in turn created Leonardo DiCaprio's career, Furbies, and God only knows what else. This paper is obviously the cause of all that has been joyous (and by definition, then) all sorrowful in the world for the past three years. And you wonder why I track rejections? Many Thanks to Shannon Wendt for her award   Yeah, but will they be any good? Daily Persistence is © Ron Collins |
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"Here I am, an old man in a dry month, Being read to by a boy, waiting for rain." Thomas Sterns Eliot |
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