Science, Art, and Coffee

There have been six story submissions to Arcane Twilight this year, and so far — no joy. But I guess I should be glad that having to read manuscripts isn’t a full-time job. The following article from Salon.Com describes one editorial assistant’s experiences with weird query letters and psycho authors:

http://dir.salon.com/story/books/feature/2002/02/25/slush/index.html?pn=1

Her story ends with a sentiment that I can well appreciate:

And these days, as a freelance writer, I am chagrined to find that the worm has turned. Suddenly, I’m the desperate one, the hopeful neurotic who waits impatiently only to be met with rejection or no response at all. Interestingly enough, my background in slush sometimes works against me: I am less persistent than I could be, worried that editors will find me annoying and pathetic. In my weaker moments, I wonder if my story pitches are being passed around, ridiculed and ignored. I wonder if the people I’m querying even exist. Maybe what goes around really does come around.