VENGEANCE WILL BE MINE!

Vendetta has been declared. Three or four months ago I came across a listing in the Market Watch section of my Story Circle Network newsletter. It said there is a publication called "GreenPrints, 'The Weeder's Digest'?," that is seeking submissions. It sounds right up my alley, being a gardener, so I shoot off a story about all John's mishaps in the garden when we first bought this place. A couple of months later I get a reply saying my story isn't very cohesive, sort of rambles, and isn't all that strong. I can see his point. It was one of the first stories I wrote, and I did ramble a lot back then.

Next I shoot off two of my more recent stories, both much shorter and tighter. Two or three months go by. Yesterday I finally get a response on one of them. The editor's handwriting is so poor that I can only make out a few words here and there: poetic, evocative, going to pass. Well, that's disappointing, but at least it isn't as negative as the first one. There's still one more story out, and you know what they say..."Third times a charm!"

Not in my case, apparently. Today I get my third rejection letter from this fellow. My eyes fly to the words "Thanks again! Cute! Remarkable!", and my spirits soar, but then come to a screeching halt when they hit "I don't know, I'm still going to give this one a 'near miss' too, though. Sorry again." What's with this guy?!

I am not giving up though. I'm bound and determined to win him over. Guess I'll just have to break down and subscribe to his damn magazine. I need to study what makes it into print, so I'll know better what he is looking for. Who knows, maybe that's his secret intention, only printing stories from paid subscribers, in order to increase readership. Pretty funny, when you think about it. One reason I submitted here in the first place was that it is one of the few places that actually pays for stories. So now I'm going to shell out twenty bucks for a subscription, to increase my chances of getting paid not much more than that for my story? So be it. Vengeance will be mine!