Sigh.

Yup, it's another one of those days . . .

Two rejections: One from Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine and a negative editor comment over at NFG (not really a rejection: the other editors love the story, but it feels like one anyway.)

So, it's a little tough to be excited today. Throw into the mix that it also happens to be MONDAY and well, a positive outlook isn't the easiest to come by.

And maybe it's because of that fact that I'm a little hyper-critical today. The negative editor comment over at NFG came with a note about how I should check out the fiction of this guy named, "Paul Haines." Yup, my middle and last name on another spec-fic writer. That sucks.

But anyway, said editor told me I should check out HIS fiction to see how I should have written MY story. Now, forgive me if I'm wrong here, but I'm a decent enough writer who is just getting better with time. I really don't need to go check out this other Haines' fiction in order to figure out how to write my own. My voice is my only saleable quality and I'll be damned if I let some friggin' editor tell me different. There are only three stories in the world: Man vs. Man, Man vs. Nature and Man vs. Himself. All the stories have been told ad nauseum so without a distinct voice you've got nothing to offer the world.

So thank you Mr. Editor, I'll write my stories in my own voice my own way. If you don't like them, simply send along a rejection letter and I'll send it somewhere else.

Perhaps I'm just being hyper-critical today, but if you'll pardon the language, fuck him. My story, my way. You don't like it? Don't buy it.

The story I got rejected is going out to F&SF today. It may have been a bit too literary for ASIM, now that I think about it. They're more of a pulp magazine and this story ain't pulp.

Okay, I'm feeling better. Nothing like swearing at an editor to make the world seem okay again.

But don't worry Lon, Eric, I never swear at you when you reject my stories. Really! I swear! Stop shaking your heads; I mean it!

Sigh.

:-)

Joseph Haines, signing off from The Edge of the Abyss.