Rejection

 by Bethany Maines

One of my manuscript was recently rejected.  And you
can guess how I feel about that. Not good. 

I think the harshest part was that the editor took the time
to reject it personally.  When you get a form letter, you can pretend that
no one really read it and that your genius will go undiscovered another day. When
they take the time to tell you why they hate your book-child and why it’s
deformed and hideous then it feels a little personal.  I admit that the
individual may not have used those EXACT words.  But that’s what it feels
like.  

But the problem with writing is that if you want to have your work read by
other human beings then first it has to… be read by other human beings. 
And those jackasses keep having opinions! The nerve! The unmitigated
gall! 

The other problem with this particular work is that I’ve
also written it to be a script.  I
believe the idea is imminently wonderful and would be a great TV show.  However, TV and Publishing have two wildly
different esthetics.  The notes I’ve
received on the script were that it should be funnier.  The book notes said there was too much
banter.  Or in other words… too
funny. 

Here’s the idea.

Vampire Heist (based on A Bite of Paris): When the vampire Nicholas de Cervon discovers that his
former home is now a museum he reunites the old horde to pull off the heist of
his after-life and get revenge on the Igor who betrayed him.

I don’t know what to tell you.  I like banter.  Will I be taking another editorial pass at it
to see if I can make my characters express the dreaded ennui and tragedy that
makes up the drudgery of life (places hand dramatically on brow)… yes, I
probably will.  Will I add a pratfall to
the script… maybe.

Meanwhile, today is #screenpit over on Twitter. If you like
my vampire idea and agree that it should be a TV show, head on over and give me
a retweet today.  https://twitter.com/BethanyMaines

**

Bethany Maines is the award-winning author of the Carrie Mae Mysteries, San Juan Islands Mysteries, Shark Santoyo Crime Series, and numerous
short stories. When she’s not traveling to exotic lands, or kicking some
serious butt with her black belt in karate, she can be found chasing her
daughter or glued to the computer working on her next novel. You can also catch up with her on Twitter, FacebookInstagram, and BookBub.

2 replies
  1. Debra H. Goldstein
    Debra H. Goldstein says:

    Retweet given. I'm reading Mel Brooks' bio now and some of his biggest screen hits – Young Frankenstein, Silent Movie, and Blazing Saddles didn't get accepted where he first pitched them.

Comments are closed.