Comments on: Why Didn’t You Say So?

By: By W. J. Howard

By W. J. Howard — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 15:22:37 +0000

[...] Steve Liskow, Why Didn’t You Say So? [...]

By: Steve Liskow

Steve Liskow — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 19:58:15 +0000

Supriya,

Good luck (Actually, I know you’ll keep us posted).

I actually have two separate spread sheet files I use to track my submissions and rejections. Excel is a wonderful program.

Greg, yes, I’m beyond the stone tablets. There’s this great new company I just heard about. They call themselves the Pony Express.

By: Supriya Savkoor

Supriya Savkoor — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 18:16:46 +0000

I like your systematic approach, Steve. I can do systematic and organized. But this might be one of those things that until you’ve been there and done it (and received your first dozen or two rejections), you can’t really say you know how it feels. I’m going to write my first query letter in February, so I’ll keep you posted.

By: Gregory Marshall Smith

Gregory Marshall Smith — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 15:09:08 +0000

Ah, an excellent blog, as usual. I love your witticisms, Steve. It’s like when I was a sports writer for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and had to translate Texas Tech football coach Spike Dikes into English.

But, the words were true — if you don’t connect with a blind date in the first five minutes, you don’t connect at all (and you definitely won’t connect over McDonald’s dollar menu, no matter how many times they play that stupid commercial).

And 17 months for a rejection letter? Wow. I think I might have one to match it. A submissions editor rejected me twice – 18 months apart (he was cleaning out some files, found my stuff, read it again and then rejected it again; nothing says “crap” like being read twice and rejected twice so I can’t say my story didn’t get a fair shake).

Anyway, some good insights into writing. By the way, I hope you’ve advanced beyond sending stone tablets. You have got to be killing your mail carrier.