So, yeah. Got another rejection for my latest short story. Nothing unusual in that of course, it’s all part of the process. Fortunately, I got useful feedback to work with this time. I’ve found that’s the good thing with short stories. Though the submission process is no less brutal, at least I’m more likely to get some constructive criticism out of it (easier to do when it’s a 2000 word story compared to a ninety-five thousand word novel, I guess).

I believe my first short story was ultimately accepted because after every rejection I took what feedback I got and significant changes to the story to address it.

With my second short story, which currently has over a dozen rejections, I haven’t changed a lot so far. I’ve not really understood what the feedback highlighted, not necessarily agreed with some of the criticism. They’re not getting it, is what I’ve regularly thought. They’re missing the point.

Tough shit. I’ve finally accepted it’s my problem, not theirs. I really am the last person to judge because I wrote it, I’m too close to it. That’s not something writers just say. It’s true. It’s a thing. I’m sure there will come a point in my career where I’ll have to hold my ground over some plot point, but that’s far off into the future. From now on, I won’t treat feedback as something to be cherry-picked.