I spent the afternoon doing writerly things that unfortunately did not include any actual writing. I figure that I should spend some time gearing up for the business of writing, or I’m never going to get anywhere. I read up on the process of finding an agent, tips on crafting a query letter and a synopsis, and what to expect if an agent responds positively. Last time I queried some agents, I received the standard form letter rejections from all of them except for the one who didn’t respond at all.
Taking a break from that, I spent some time searching out potential magazine markets for short stories. One of them I found, AlienSkin Magazine, offers an intriguing alternative to the standard rejection letter. For those souls hearty enough to withstand outright humiliation (in the interest of learning how to be a better writer, ostensibly,) they offer the Zap Room. Simply mark your submission with the phrase “Zap Me” in the subject line or on the cover page, and if your story is really bad, they will provide a thorough critique. The catch is that the critique is posted on their web site, along with the story itself.
It’s sort of like appearing on American Idol, where your humiliation may be shared with the world. Why would someone sign up for that treatment? Well, it does offer the chance to receive actual feedback on your rejected story. The question is whether that sort of feedback is better than none at all. I’m leaning toward “yes,” but I’m a glutton for punishment.
Your post reminded me of an awesome book I read many years ago. It’s called “Zen in the Art of Writing” by Ray Bradbury. If you haven’t read it, I highly recommend it.
Thanks for the tip. I haven’t read that but will certainly check it out.