Truth is, unless you are dripping with celebrity or happen to be the very close relative of a publisher, rejection letters are an inevitable reality for most writers, even oft-published veterans. Cecka wrote the book on gobbledygook. That is to say she recently authored a three-page handout detailing the meaning behind nearly 50 words and phrases commonly found in rejection letters. Once I got a copy of Cecka's handout, I felt like a kid who discovered the answer sheet to an upcoming final. These were crib notes, par excellence .
Premise seems too weak to build a story around.
Stories may be thinly cloaked memoirs. May also be an apologetic catch-all for manuscripts that just don't measure up to house standards. Still, when trying to crack the code of Rejection-speak , one editor's guidance is far better than none. About Barbara J. Odanaka Authorlink columnist Barbara J. Odanaka writes children's books from her home in Laguna Beach, California. She is a former LA Times sports reporter and columnist.