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Apex Slush Pile

  • Jul. 13th, 2009 at 4:24 PM
Author image May 2008
Jennifer's Apex Slush Pile Scorecard for 2009
(The other submission editors have their own scorecards.)

  • 97 total submissions

  • 97 total submissions read.
  • 90 total rejections.
  • 04 total submissions currently kept for round-robin editorial evaluation.
  • 03 total submissions taken to the second level.
  • 00 rejected from the second level.
  • 00 published in Apex Magazine

  • 00 submissions to go.


    Reasons why stories got rejected this week:

    • Too many flashback scenes. Don't do this. Too many flashbacks in a short story are distracting. I don't really care what happened back then. I want to know what's happening now in your story.

    • Three spelling errors on the first page of a submission. DO NOT DO THIS! There should be no spelling errors in your story. It should be edited within an inch of its life.

    • A 'story' that was less than 1000 words that comprised of 2 journal entries. Don't do this. It is very hard to get a good sci-fi/horror story going in so little words. Neil Gaiman did it. You aren't Neil Gaiman.

    • OMG-boring. Couldn't get past the first page. The trick is to keep the pages turning. Keep me wanting to read all the way through.

    • No horror in the story. Don't do this. Apex's motto is "Where Science Fiction and Horror Collide."

    • No science fiction in the story. Don't do this. Apex's motto is "Where Science Fiction and Horror Collide."

    • Tags:

    Comments

    ( 6 comments — Leave a comment )
    [info]eyezofwolf wrote:
    Jul. 13th, 2009 11:30 pm (UTC)
    I must admit that the last two entries had me giggling out loud.
    | Reply | Thread
    [info]jennifer_brozek wrote:
    Jul. 13th, 2009 11:33 pm (UTC)
    And yet, I reject stories for these two every single time I sit down to read Apex slush.
    | Reply | Parent | Thread
    [info]filamena wrote:
    Jul. 13th, 2009 11:32 pm (UTC)
    I've heard a lot of definitions going around, what is Sci Fi, what is horror' that sort of thing. What about you? Do you follow the 'It's sci fi if the science element is required or the story falls apart?' What about horror?

    Just for the sake of conversation, really.
    | Reply | Thread
    [info]jennifer_brozek wrote:
    Jul. 13th, 2009 11:35 pm (UTC)
    Horror is a lot of things. It can be emotional or physical. However, there is tragedy and then there is horror.

    Growing old is tragic.

    Growing old over a period of minutes can be horrific.

    | Reply | Parent | Thread
    [info]cuddlycthulhu wrote:
    Jul. 13th, 2009 11:49 pm (UTC)
    Yeah, the first one really isn't excusable.

    F7 - Learn it. Use it. Love it.
    | Reply | Thread
    [info]talvinamarich wrote:
    Jul. 14th, 2009 12:17 am (UTC)
    Hey, it could be worse.

    You haven't told us that somebody tried to do a variation on the alien bursting out of somebody's chest. I mean, nobody has--right?

    It was cool the first time (Aliens). It was funny as hell the second time (Spaceballs). Now it's dead.

    If you DO get one of these, please send back a letter saying, "I'll give you five bucks if I can print it in my Livejournal so we can all laugh at you. That's my final offer." I'll even spot you the fiver.
    | Reply | Thread
    ( 6 comments — Leave a comment )