*singing* " ... C.C. Writer/Just see what you have done
Posted: Thu Nov 01, 2007 9:31 am
Hi, everyone.
News writing is my forte, but I'm trying to learn the ropes in this Internet freelance world. It's a totally different animal and until recently I felt like a fish out of water. How's that for mixed metaphors?
Then I found CC. Thank God - or whoever you please - for real editors!
Since several have shared their rejection stories, I'd like to share mine.
My second article was rejected for having single-sentence paragraphs; which are perfectly acceptable in print media like newspapers. For all I know, it's different for Internet style.
Scratching my head, I looked at my first article. Yep. Single-sentence paragraphs. I looked through the submission guidelines that I'd already read 3 or 4 times. Nothing to explain the rejection.
But, I know a little something about editors. This applies to any editor, not just on CC.
First, they are flesh and blood. They have good days, bad days, busy days, yada-yada. Second, they usually get to be editors because they know more and/or have more experience than the writer. At the very least, they know the in-house standards we must follow if we want to be published in that house.
I also know that rejections aren't rejections. If you don't get that, you have a lot to learn about professional writing. Not a bad thing, if you can admit it.
So, I made some adjustments and clipped a few phrases to maintain the context. No big deal. It was accepted.
You have no idea how refreshing it is to see some writing standards and to see them enforced. I'm not going to split hairs about who edited the article or why it wasn't consistent with the guidelines or other articles. Whoever kicked it back was at least looking out for CC's standards, if not trying to help me improve the story.
To me, knowing there is quality control helps justify CC's cut of my fee. Now, I'm going to end this happy rant and search the forums for insight into what CC does to keep a steady flow of quality buyers.
News writing is my forte, but I'm trying to learn the ropes in this Internet freelance world. It's a totally different animal and until recently I felt like a fish out of water. How's that for mixed metaphors?
Then I found CC. Thank God - or whoever you please - for real editors!
Since several have shared their rejection stories, I'd like to share mine.
My second article was rejected for having single-sentence paragraphs; which are perfectly acceptable in print media like newspapers. For all I know, it's different for Internet style.
Scratching my head, I looked at my first article. Yep. Single-sentence paragraphs. I looked through the submission guidelines that I'd already read 3 or 4 times. Nothing to explain the rejection.
But, I know a little something about editors. This applies to any editor, not just on CC.
First, they are flesh and blood. They have good days, bad days, busy days, yada-yada. Second, they usually get to be editors because they know more and/or have more experience than the writer. At the very least, they know the in-house standards we must follow if we want to be published in that house.
I also know that rejections aren't rejections. If you don't get that, you have a lot to learn about professional writing. Not a bad thing, if you can admit it.
So, I made some adjustments and clipped a few phrases to maintain the context. No big deal. It was accepted.
You have no idea how refreshing it is to see some writing standards and to see them enforced. I'm not going to split hairs about who edited the article or why it wasn't consistent with the guidelines or other articles. Whoever kicked it back was at least looking out for CC's standards, if not trying to help me improve the story.
To me, knowing there is quality control helps justify CC's cut of my fee. Now, I'm going to end this happy rant and search the forums for insight into what CC does to keep a steady flow of quality buyers.
