The other day I received a response from the previously mentioned magazine.  They thanked me for the submission, but would not be accepting the story.  It’s disappointing, certainly not the last time I’ll be seeing that answer.  I’m now moving on to the next magazine on my list.

Here I discovered (and promptly kicked myself for) the mistake that likely contributed to my previous rejections: formatting!  I knew on some level that having proper formatting for a manuscript is crucial, and then never thought to apply that knowledge.  I don’t know how I let that lapse in judgment go on for so long, but I did.  Now I intend to fix it.

I found William Shunn’s guide on proper manuscript formatting while combing through submission guidelines. It’s very extensive and pointed out quite a few things I’d neglected to fix.  I also felt like I was back in high school when fixing my formatting, as the guidelines are very similar to the MLA style we used.

Now that things are looking up at work I’m trying to get my head back into writing and submitting.  By the time I submit this post, I’ll also have submitted “Swamp Gas” to a third potential publisher.