So there you have it - my first rejection.
I reckon that makes me a real writer!!
Perhaps you can help?
I need to find a magazine which appreciates a lighter touch than the rather gritty dramas you usually find in SF magazines - any ideas?
You can help in another way too.
How would you pronounce "Mikal"? With a long i or a short i?
How would you pronounce "Anwe"
I ask you because of a difference in opinion at home and it seems to me that the pronunciation affects how the characters are viewed!
Ooh, the pronunciation question is interesting. "Mee-kahl" or just "Michael" with a different spelling.
ReplyDeleteYes, I can see how the characters could be viewed differently.
And "Anwe" - "Ahn-way" or "Ann-wee" or "Ahn-wee" or "Ann-way"? The permutations could be endless. Okay, not endless, but confusing.
So, I would pronounce them: Mee-kahl and Ahn-way.
And I always appreciate a lighter touch, but unfortunately I'm not a magazine, or a magazine editor.
Probably no help whatsoever, just prodigious amounts of verbiage trying to sound like I don't need a nap, which I do.
Congratulations on the first rejection letter. Some people paper their walls with them. Sigh.
-- K
Kay, Alberta, Canada
An Unfittie's Guide to Adventurous Travel
I have no idea how you pronounce things. I'm hopeless that way. However, keep that first rejection letter and keep track so that when you become a famous author, you can state how many you received before the first acceptance.
ReplyDeleteCD
Thanks Kay.
ReplyDeleteIt is very useful to me to know how different people would say the names I write. Perhaps it doesn't matter, provided the reader is comfortable with the name. Here is another interesting question for you. Do people settle on a pronunciation that *is* comfortable for them, irrespective of the original intention?
Yes Clarissa, I intend to! (Famous author or not!)
Clarissa is right, save that 1st rejection letter. & let it inspire you to keep on writing.
ReplyDeleteI can't help you with any magazines but I can say welcome to the world of writer's rejection! It's all part of the fun. Make sure you keep a nice pretty file for those letters. I do.
ReplyDeleteJai
First, congratulations on your rejection! That is proof you submitted your work. Persistence will find it a home. I don't know where you might submit, but I'll think on it.
ReplyDeleteMikal - I would pronounce with a short i, emphasis on the second syllable, sounding like: Mih-call.
Anwe - I would pronounce just as it looks, sounding like: Ahn-we.
How do you want them to sound? Inquiring minds want to know. :)
Congratulations on your very 1st rejection letter! (Look, it's better to try to be upbeat about it, I say!!)
ReplyDeleteFile it away safely (and any others you get) - then when you land that multi-book publishing deal (with another company!!) you can re-read the rejections, shouting "Hah! Not good enough, eh....!"
I'm really quite sanguine about it. I didn't expect anything else, a little secret hope maybe, but I have read enough of other writers' experiences to know the score. Besides I have learnt quite a few editing techniques which will help me buff it up and send it out again.
ReplyDeleteAhh, first rejection! I kept mine too, though I should probably print it off the email... Anyway.
ReplyDeleteI'd pronounce Mikal either "Mih-kall" or like "Michael."
Anwe is tougher...after seeing it a few times, I'd either go with "Ahn-vah" or "Ann-wah." Depending on whether I thought the origin would have the "v" sound on the w.
Hi Dominic,
ReplyDeleteCongrats on your rejection letter, it's a rite of passage right? I hope you find the right magazine soon.
On the names, Mikhal with a short 'i'.
Anwe - I would pronounce as 'Arn-whey' - is this a name for a female character? For me it sounds feminine.
All great writers have a drawer full of rejection letters. No worries for a talented guy like you, Dominic :) I'm not sure on how to pronounce those either. I'm going to ask my friend who writes in this genre about magazine recommendations. I'll let you know.
ReplyDeleteThanks everyone for your encouragement - I feel very ... encouraged!
ReplyDeleteHi dad,
ReplyDeleteI googled my name to see what it's up to nowadays, and your blog came up, so thank you for the promo!!
I would pronounce it Mih-kal and ann-way personally...xx