I got a story rejection back yesterday and decided to put a little work in on it before sending it out again. I spent an hour with it, basically trying to make it into a better story. After that hour I realized, "This just isn't a good story and nothing I do to it is really going to make much difference." It wasn't a good feeling, but I think it's an accurate assessment of the story. The payoff is weak, the protagonist makes his discovery too easily (after 4700 words) and the progression of events just feels wrong.
It's just a bad story. Nothing to feel bad about. People better than me write 'em. (They probably just don't send them out.)
I've been studying a lot of published stories lately and maybe that practice has opened my eyes to some of the not-so-good stuff in my own work. I know I've got other older stories still in the pipeline that need to be retired as well. It bothered me at first, but I have to look at it this way: I'm learning what makes a good story, what good writers do and what they avoid. If I learn to see weaknesses that I haven't seen before in my own stories, that can't be a bad thing.
So what did I do with this realization?
Started a new story, of course.
Now Playing = Sister Rosetta Tharpe: The Original Soul Sister
4 comments:
Atta boy, Andy! The horse throws you, shoot the horse and then get right back on a new one.
Dr. Phil
From what you said about the story you were working on, it's not something you'd want to read. So why would you expect someone else to read it? Besides the fact that, you know, you wrote it. Discretion is the better part of valor.
And I don't know that they don't actually send them out. Some do. I've read them (unfortunately).
From what you said about the story you were working on, it's not something you'd want to read. So why would you expect someone else to read it? Besides the fact that, you know, you wrote it. Discretion is the better part of valor.
And I don't know that they don't actually send them out. Some do. I've read them (unfortunately).
Sorry for the extra post. Blogger hates me.
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