It has been a bit of a crazy week. I had some minor surgery, so I am a bit sore and woozy, but recovering fine. About an hour before I checked in I received a rejection letter for one of the stories that I submitted at the start of the month. It seemed to be a form letter (well it read very much like a form letter), but I didn’t have time to think much about it, other than a natural flash of disappointment.

Later that night, I sent off a polite email thanking them for their reply, and asking if they could give me some further feedback, whether it was a quality issue, or whether it didn’t suit the theme of the anthology.

I woke up this morning to a very kind reply from who I think is someone further up the editing tree (judging from their forum) with some encouraging words, telling me that the quality of my work was definitely up there and that if I keep submitting to markets (he suggested using www.duotrope.com, which I use, and www.ralan.com, which I haven’t been) I will get published.

He went on to say that out of 200+ submissions mine was on the shortlist, and it came down to space, and then went on to tell me what he thought was the story’s only weak point. He finished up by saying that when I do get my first acceptance to drop him a line, and to continue to submit to them as they do further anthologies.

It is amazing how much someone taking the time to do that makes such a huge difference to one’s mindeset. It’s not that I would have given up on trying to become an author, but it was definitely a lovely email to receive and will to continue to inspire me as I work towards my goal. It’s great to know that I am not that far off the mark, because it is very hard to judge where you are at when you first start out.