I’ve just learned that I’m on the shortlist for the Concept Sci-fi magazine 150-word flash fiction competition. I’m not quite sure why I’m so very chuffed about this – but I am! So chuffed, in fact, that it feels as good as winning.
Graham.
I’ve just learned that I’m on the shortlist for the Concept Sci-fi magazine 150-word flash fiction competition. I’m not quite sure why I’m so very chuffed about this – but I am! So chuffed, in fact, that it feels as good as winning.
Graham.
Woo! Here’s hoping you DO win
Way to go, Graham.
I just got a knockback from an editor who was kind and said my work was ’strong’. Faint priase is good enough for the next several thousand words.
terry
that’s fantastic, graham, congratulations! that’s a credit you can put behind your name – being shortlisted. if you’re applying for any grants for residencies, etc, it will come in handy.
terry, that is what is known as a ‘good’ rejection, and is very encouraging. the ‘best’ rejection is one where they tell you what they think could be improved and ask you to submit again. in between is a rejection which is ‘this work isn’t for us, but we’d be interested in seeing other work’. the only one that is ‘ordinary’ is a ‘no’ which doesn’t have any comment. basically, if someone is taking the time to give you a comment on your work, it’s a bonus and means you’re in the ball game. you don’t want to give up on any opportunities thinking you’re not good enough because of this.
That’s great news, Graham. You show off!
Any chance you can grace us with the piece in question in the Fiction section on the site? I’ve entered a few flash fiction comps and never gotten so much as a whiff of acceptance. It would be great to see what people are looking for from flash fiction out there…
Luke, I should probably wait until the winner is announced but then I’ll put it on the fiction page.
Actually, we should all be asking our modest co-orbiteer Joanne Anderton for advice, since she seems to be a bit of a flash fiction tyro (see http://www.wingedhalo.com/mag/issue17.html for example!)
As for the showing off, I know my little triumphs aren’t exactly earth-shattering and that others among you are probably getting published all over the place and not even bothering to mention it, but even these little successes seem quite extraordinary to me, so I hope you’ll put up with me going on about them.
Graham.
Definitely! What is this for if not to air whatever’s on an Orbiteer’s mind? Besides, I’d rather hear about other writer’s successes then rejections (of which there would no doubt be countless blogs, if failure was celebrated as much as success).