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They Rejected My Story Today By Jessica Bougher
Today I received my third rejection letter. Actually, this is the second letter but the third rejection of my writing. My first rejection came from Highlights for Children. It was a photocopied rejection letter for a children’s story titled “A Shell for Clara,” about a hermit crab looking for a shell. At the bottom of the form letter, someone had written a note complimenting the imagery in the story. They had read my story, and liked parts of what they read. A few months later, my daughter’s sixth grade English class invited me to come and talk about writing and share my story. For me, that was all the validation I needed as a writer.
The story is still being rewritten. I now have a hermit crab named Clara and a box turtle named Charlie. While Charlie shows no interest in Clara, they provide ideas for improving the story, making it more realistic. I am going to send that story out into the world again, hoping that an editor or publisher will give it a home.
My second rejection did not have a letter. I found out the hard way. In November, I had submitted a short story, “Gavin,” to the Chestatee Review, the literary magazine at Gainesville College. In January, I began my magazine production practicum, working with other students to put the magazine together and get it published. Professors and authors from the community judged the entries. When we opened the envelope containing the names of the winning entries, mine was not on the list. I was not upset, just disappointed. I know that three judges read each entry; I am hoping that there will be notes from the judges about what they did and did not like. I modeled the story after A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole.
After I submitted “Gavin,” I realized that there was more to the story. Studying the structure, I found places where expansion of the plot allowed more insight into the characters. I have been working on the story. The rejection was a blessing. I am now free to tear the story apart and reassemble the pieces with renewed vision and passion.
Today’s rejection came via e-mail. I had submitted “Playing with Angels” to Hourglass Books for their anthology, Peculiar Pilgrims, hoping that it would find a happy home with them. The e-mail was polite, thanking me for giving them the opportunity to consider my story. I believe they read the story and considered it as a possibility. The fact that it did not meet their needs is a disappointment, but I already have a list of other potential markets to consider.
Tomorrow is a new day, with new markets to consider and new stories to write. My article about the winners for the Chestatee Review and Hoi Polloi made the editor of the school paper very happy. It was on time and needed no revisions. I took a gamble and pitched an idea for the April issue, an article about accommodations available at Gainesville College when a student becomes ill or injured and is unable to attend classes. The editor took a few minutes to respond to my pitch, and finally said to make it a page one feature, with photos. Life goes on…
Jessica Bougher is 37 years old, and the mother of thirteen-year-old twin girls. She lives in Oakwood, Georgia, with her partner, four dogs, four cats, a hermit crab, and a box turtle. She is journalism major at Gainesville College in Oakwood. She is the author of More than Coffee, http://www.glbpubs.com/coffee.html.
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