Some more numbers neepery for you gentlefolk. Again, these are just my numbers; the other assistant editors’ (not to mention Edmund’s) are another matter entirely.
Here is the percentages of my rejection recommendations since February, 2010:
| Month | % of Rejections |
| Feb-10 | 79.31 |
| March, 2010 | 47.92 |
| Apr-10 | 72.73 |
| May-10 | 61.76 |
| Jun-10 | 95.24 |
| Jul-10 | 76.92 |
| Aug-10 | 75.00 |
| Sep-10 | 75.86 |
| Oct-10 | 70.83 |
| Nov-10 | 73.68 |
| Dec-10 | 77.78 |
| Jan-11 | 53.85 |
| Feb-11 | 91.67 |
| Mar-11 | 82.76 |
| Apr-11 | 85.71 |
| May-11 | 96.15 |
| Jun-11 | 88.24 |
Hm… looks like I’ve hit the Terrible Twos. (I’ve been reading slush for IGMS since August 2009, but didn’t keep track of things until the beginning of 2010.)
In a late night pique of madness, I even went through all the stories I rejected to see if I could pull a pattern from them.
For the stories that I did not finish, my main complaint seems to have been a variation of the below:
“It wasn’t interesting.”
For the stories that I *did* finish and that were rejected, the main complaint was something like this:
“The ending was unsatisfying.”
I cannot stress how important it is for a story to hit the ground running. Generally, IGMS publishes short stories. Stories that get through my slush pile demonstrate the author’s ability to quickly establish character, place, and conflict, and no matter if they’re rip-roaring adventure stories, or philosophical comfy mysteries, they keep my attention. Taking ten pages to get to the conflict will get you a rejection from me.
Most stories I reject don’t last even that long, I’m afraid.
Endings. Oh, what can I say here, that others haven’t said? A bad ending is worse than a boring beginning, because I’ve spent all this time being enchanted, only to be disappointed at the very last moment.
It’s like falling in love with Angelina Jolie, and then waking up to find out she’s really Ralph Nader. I don’t care what your proclivities or political positions are, that isn’t a happy occurrence.
--Scott M. Roberts
Asst. Editor, IGMS
3 comments:
You would think that a short story would have those qualities. Or perhaps I would hope so.
*le wow* It's tough to get through slush. I feel mildly pleased I've managed it a couple of times (though I don't know who the first reader was).
Onwards.
Nod over your note about good endings. They are in short supply across the media spectrum, I'm afraid.
There are so many authors that are exquisite at piling on the conflict. I dive into the narrative wondering, "Holy crap, how is the author ever going to resolve this?" Too often, they don't (BSG looms large in the scarred portion of my brain). I'm not saying that every ending needs to be a neat, tidy package--most shouldn't--but there is definitely a finesse to endings.
That thought led me to do a Google search. For the search "writing a good beginning", most of the first hits were how-tos. First hits for "writing a good ending" were people asking for tips.
Post a Comment