Rejected Cards

Most writers dread the arrival of the envelope or email bearing bad news about their manuscript. "It's just not right for our current publication needs" is often the nicest phrase, taking the lead over stinging remarks and harsh realities in story criticism.

Those harsh realities, however, may be the writer's best friend when it comes to editing a manuscript for submission. Before writers send that final draft to an editor or agent, their best editing technique lies ahead: the rejection letter. No publisher or agent is required to create one; simply a writer's gut honesty and intuition when it comes to their manuscript.

Writer's Critique List

Most writers know their stories have flaws; in fact, most would probably admit to recognizing a few in the form of scenes, characters, and even chapters that they won't let go of because of partiality. Others seem to integral to the text to remove, or fill a gap which the writer failed to resolve in any other way. Still more take the form of controversial or daring plot decisions that may give the novel "edge" -- or may turn off an editor's interest entirely.