The next story that I started to sub out after “A Mother’s Love” was “Aftermath of War.” This story started at a NoteBored challenge.
The trigger for this challenge was “Time Magazine.” Since this trigger was used twice, I wrote two stories on it. My first piece written for this trigger was my very first Sci-Fi piece titled “The Time Magazine.” This story was about a gun with a magazine that transported people in time. I have done one polish job on this story, but I really need to get back to it.
The second story off of the trigger was “Aftermath of War.” This story is about a mother coming home from war and wondering how her family will treat her. Especially her youngest daughter.
I sent “Aftermath of War” to Haruah on June 3rd, but it was rejected June 15th.
On June 21st, this story made stops to Bewildering Stories, Gambara, The Kings’ English, and Plunge. I heard back from Bewildering Stories the very next morning. Though they said that they normally publish Sci-Fi stories, they would look at a rewrite. (I wrote about this in “Great Reject Letters.) On July 15th, I heard back from The King’s English—story rejected. (“Dear Ms. Robelen - Thank you for submitting to ‘The King’s English.’ I regret to inform you that your work doesn’t meet our needs at this time. We wish you the best of luck in placing it elsewhere.”) To this date, I’m still waiting to hear from Gambara and Plunge.
After a rewrite with Haruah’s and Bewildering Stories’ suggestions, “Aftermath of War” was renamed “Home and Home Again” and was resubmitted to Bewildering Stories. I sent the rewrite to them on July 25th and on July 27th I got my answer.
Nope. (Hello, Joy... Word is back from a reviewer about "Home and Home Again." The story is definitely better than before. However, the reviewer's observations are cogent and worth heeding. ---- [from the reviewer] It's a straightforward mainstream story. There is nothing of Bewildering Stories in it: no science fiction, no fantasy, no slipstream, no speculative element. It's too saccharine for my taste. It's an unrelentingly wholesome and sanitized picture of life, like Norman Rockwell or Ozzie & Harriet. ....... So, the basic idea of the story - an all-American mom who goes to war and comes home to a young daughter who can't remember her - is a good one. I read it through to the end with some interest and sympathy for the protagonist, but it seems like she "made it up" and I'm not quite ready to believe all of it. ---- As an editor, I have to make decisions that the reviewer does not have to make. Either the war goes out of the story entirely or else it comes center stage and changes everybody's life. I'm afraid that will make it a very different story, one you may not feel like writing. I would recommend you take the reviewer's suggestions about style and try submitting a new version to a magazine for pre-teens or teenage girls. Sorry, Joy, it's just not suited to our style or our readers' expectations.)
Oh well, I got to work with a very nice editor who had a lot of good ideas for making my story stronger. And he is right, to make this story suitable for his magazine would take away the story I’m trying to tell.
Felling more confident about my story, I sent it out to The Pedestal Magazine on July 31st. Twenty-eight days later, I got my answer—another no. Once again, just a form reject letter from them: Thank you for submitting your work to The Pedestal Magazine. We enjoyed reading it but regret that we cannot use it at this time. We wish you the best of luck in placing your work elsewhere and sincerely hope that you will submit other writing to us in the future.)
Felling discouraged, I then submitted “Home and Home Again” to Literary Mama on August 29th. This is another non-paying magazine. Maybe if they don’t have to pay for it, they will want it. Or so is my hope. I got an email from Literary Mama stating that they received my submission and it could take up to three months before I hear back from them. So now I’m just waiting.
