Thanks Geoffrey! What surprised me most was how many people give up after one submission. I guess it gives me a better shot in the future if there is less competition 😂
It happens in video games, too. A lot of indie developers quit after releasing one game.
Maybe they just wanted to try writing, or had one story in them, or couldn’t handle the rejection, or thought their first time at bat would be a home run.
Great interview. Solid info. I have a few dozen stories published in traditional venues and I interned as a slush reader for a literary agent for nine months a decade ago. One thing I quickly learned is that there are two major driving forces in good fiction: Voice, and a first page that almost forcibly holds the reader’s attention. Of course juicy, complex, interesting, relatable characters, a vibrant setting, lush but spare language, and real, raw emotion also help. He’s right about rejection. Stephen King had hundreds of magazine rejections before finally getting one taken. My good writer friend Allison Landa just finally published her memoir after 17 years. (Yes: 17.) Similar with short stories. My first story was published in 2012 after working on it for months, workshopping it, and eventually cutting it in half. Persistence. Perseverance. The writers that make it are the ones who HAVE to write. It’s in their soul. A ‘No’ means ‘not yet.’
This is wonderful feedback, Michael! Thank you for providing your perspective and experience. It wasn't until my writing became compulsory that I felt like I could even get published. I had to want to write all the time so that rejections (or acceptances) were a small part of my contribution. Once I created my Substack, it was the additional forward momentum I needed.
Great interview Brian thank you! I submitted and got rejected by Neil a few months ago. It was first submission actually! I do wish I got some feedback as to why but with that many submissions per month I’m not surprised. The more I write the more I realise how hard it is to write well.
By pure coincidence, part 1 of that very story is now posted on my Substack, part 2 will be up tomorrow. If anyone reads it, any friendly feedback is welcome. Thank you.
Definitely stick with it! The world needs good writers to share their stories. I've had several rejections now, and I got my first positive feedback from an editor recently, so it does happen with some of the smaller publications. One thing I've learned is that the rejection is not always going to be about the quality. Sometimes it's just not the right fit. I plan to submit my first story to Clarkesworld soon as well. I'm excited 😊 I'll go check your story out as well 👍
Yes great point about the fit, you’re right. Finding the right fit for online pubs is a challenge in itself as well! Anyway, failing towards success is always a good reminder hey? Good luck on your submission and thank you for reading mine! 🙏🏻
Very helpful series. It's easy to give up on a story if it keeps getting rejected, but there are probably a lot of factors involved besides it simply being badly written.
I kind of wish there was a larger audience for short stories. They're my favorite thing to write, but it often seems like nobody reads them.
Thanks Leigh. I think there is a large audience for short stories. The trick is finding them. They're spread out through different genres and different publications, and the only way to really reach them is by trying to get published in various markets. Keep writing, and you'll find a group of people that enjoy the stories you have to tell 👍
I love the insight into magazines. I've stopped submitting as life has gotten busy, but now I'm inspired to jump back in! Just need to dust and polish some stories first....
Clarkesworld is a terrific publication and this is a fascinating interview.
I'm glad you enjoyed it, Bill!
Nice treatment Brian! I’ll be following up on some of those links.
Thanks Tom! I was thrilled when he accepted the invitation for an interview. He has a lot of good editorials on the Clarkesworld website.
Great interview, Brian! A lot of good insight here.
Thanks Geoffrey! What surprised me most was how many people give up after one submission. I guess it gives me a better shot in the future if there is less competition 😂
It happens in video games, too. A lot of indie developers quit after releasing one game.
Maybe they just wanted to try writing, or had one story in them, or couldn’t handle the rejection, or thought their first time at bat would be a home run.
Great job, Brian! Thanks for bringing this interview to the community!
Thanks Michael!
Great interview. Solid info. I have a few dozen stories published in traditional venues and I interned as a slush reader for a literary agent for nine months a decade ago. One thing I quickly learned is that there are two major driving forces in good fiction: Voice, and a first page that almost forcibly holds the reader’s attention. Of course juicy, complex, interesting, relatable characters, a vibrant setting, lush but spare language, and real, raw emotion also help. He’s right about rejection. Stephen King had hundreds of magazine rejections before finally getting one taken. My good writer friend Allison Landa just finally published her memoir after 17 years. (Yes: 17.) Similar with short stories. My first story was published in 2012 after working on it for months, workshopping it, and eventually cutting it in half. Persistence. Perseverance. The writers that make it are the ones who HAVE to write. It’s in their soul. A ‘No’ means ‘not yet.’
Michael Mohr
Sincere American Writing
https://michaelmohr.substack.com/
This is wonderful feedback, Michael! Thank you for providing your perspective and experience. It wasn't until my writing became compulsory that I felt like I could even get published. I had to want to write all the time so that rejections (or acceptances) were a small part of my contribution. Once I created my Substack, it was the additional forward momentum I needed.
Exactly!! I'm really enjoying the Substack community.
A fascinating interview, Brian! Thank you for sharing!
Thanks Justin!
Great interview Brian thank you! I submitted and got rejected by Neil a few months ago. It was first submission actually! I do wish I got some feedback as to why but with that many submissions per month I’m not surprised. The more I write the more I realise how hard it is to write well.
By pure coincidence, part 1 of that very story is now posted on my Substack, part 2 will be up tomorrow. If anyone reads it, any friendly feedback is welcome. Thank you.
Definitely stick with it! The world needs good writers to share their stories. I've had several rejections now, and I got my first positive feedback from an editor recently, so it does happen with some of the smaller publications. One thing I've learned is that the rejection is not always going to be about the quality. Sometimes it's just not the right fit. I plan to submit my first story to Clarkesworld soon as well. I'm excited 😊 I'll go check your story out as well 👍
Yes great point about the fit, you’re right. Finding the right fit for online pubs is a challenge in itself as well! Anyway, failing towards success is always a good reminder hey? Good luck on your submission and thank you for reading mine! 🙏🏻
Very helpful series. It's easy to give up on a story if it keeps getting rejected, but there are probably a lot of factors involved besides it simply being badly written.
I kind of wish there was a larger audience for short stories. They're my favorite thing to write, but it often seems like nobody reads them.
Thanks Leigh. I think there is a large audience for short stories. The trick is finding them. They're spread out through different genres and different publications, and the only way to really reach them is by trying to get published in various markets. Keep writing, and you'll find a group of people that enjoy the stories you have to tell 👍
I love the insight into magazines. I've stopped submitting as life has gotten busy, but now I'm inspired to jump back in! Just need to dust and polish some stories first....
Thanks for sharing!
Good luck on your submissions!
Thank you!