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Saturday 20 November 2010

Reject!



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!

13 comments:

  1. Ooh, the pronunciation question is interesting. "Mee-kahl" or just "Michael" with a different spelling.
    Yes, 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

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  2. 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.

    CD

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  3. Thanks Kay.

    It 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!)

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  4. Clarissa is right, save that 1st rejection letter. & let it inspire you to keep on writing.

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  5. I 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.

    Jai

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  6. 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.

    Mikal - 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. :)

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  7. Congratulations on your very 1st rejection letter! (Look, it's better to try to be upbeat about it, I say!!)

    File 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....!"

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  8. 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.

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  9. Ahh, first rejection! I kept mine too, though I should probably print it off the email... Anyway.

    I'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.

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  10. Hi Dominic,

    Congrats 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.

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  11. 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.

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  12. Thanks everyone for your encouragement - I feel very ... encouraged!

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  13. Hi dad,
    I 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

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