One day I am going to print out all of my rejections, bind them together, and turn it into my own coffee table book of depression.  I’ll need to buy a table first, though.

I waited for this rejection for a while.  I submitted “Jenny Kissed Me” to Gulf Coast February 26th, 2013, a few days shy of their deadline.  Apparently, they were unable to read mine before they stopped reading for the summer, and they weren’t able to get back to it until after September 1st, 2013, when their submission process reopened.  A long time, yeah, but at least I know, and I can now move on with my life.

I still have five potential acceptances waiting in the wind, four, if you ignore the magazine that looks to be on permanent hiatus, or even three, if you discount the one that never even acknowledged my submission in the first place and never responded to my query.  One of the five is for “Jenny of Lebanon”.  The magazine I sent her to has rejected other works after mine was submitted, so maybe, just maybe, I have a chance.  I won’t hold my breath or anything because I’d probably die, but my fingers are crossed SUPER hard.  She’s been “in-progress” with them for over two months now.

The others are all for “Jenny Kissed Me”.  Two magazines are “in-progress”, but I know that only means that someone has been assigned to read her, not that they have and are trying to decide my fate.  Fingers are still crossed, though, because you never really know until they tell you one way or the other for sure.

I do wonder if when the magazines get my submission, if they Google my name and find this website and see how many rejections I have accumulated.   Perhaps posting all of my rejections was not the best decision in the world, but oh well.  I wanted to show others that rejection is a part of life and that it sucks but that there is always hope out there somewhere.  That hope dwindles with each rejection, but it never fully goes away.  Who knows, maybe one day a magazine will see all five hundred of my rejections and take pity on me.  I’d be okay with that.

Rejection Letter #26 – Gulf Coast

Dear Writer:

Thank you for your recent submission to Gulf Coast. We appreciate your patience while we read your work. However, we’re sorry to inform you that your work was not the right fit for us at this time.

Thank you again for submitting, and good luck with all your writing endeavors.

Sincerely,
The Gulf Coast Editors

Ah, the sweet smell of rejection, how I’ve missed you.

Clearly, I’m kidding.

At least I didn’t have to wait six months to get this one.  Just a mere 8 days.  For that, Subtropics, I thank you.

Rejection Letter #25 – Subtropics

Dear Gabrielle Olexa,

Thank you for sending us “Jenny of Lebanon.” This piece isn’t going to work for SUBTROPICS but we appreciate your thinking of us and wish you the best in finding the right home for it.

Sincerely,

The Editors

In other news, I finished another story, and I will soon start submitting it to magazines.  I’m also submitting a short piece to a Halloween contest.  I’ll come back and tell you how that goes.