Ouch.

And the drawback to all this technological convenience is that the turnaround time on rejections can be less than 48 hours. I appreciate a prompt response, but this is so quick that I haven't had time to fully come off the buzz of having submitted and settle back into acceptance of my fate. This one stings a bit.

This magazine includes the first-reader's comments in the rejection, from which it's pretty clear that the reader was expecting hard SF, when the story is really more of an allegorical mood piece. This is both ego-soothing and frustrating: obviously it's a case of wrong-audience-for-the-story, so I needn't take it personally, but it does make one wonder what would have happened if the right reader had gotten hold of it.

I think I shall sulk for a day or two, then see what the submission guidelines are like for my next-choice market. Which pays better anyway, so there.

Now that's more like it.

And now, the thing I meant to post about before I got distracted by my email.

I wrote 1105 words on the new novel last night. I still have no idea what I'm doing where the setting is concerned, but artistic fakery has commenced.

A dairy delay....

Not feeling well. YogurtWatch tomorrow, maybe?