Over at the Virginia Quarterly Review blog, they've posted a list of comments from their submission readers about particularly 'bad' submissions. I read the post and as I read it my mind was blank. I smiled once or twice. Read the post if you'd like. I do not know why I posted this link, actually. I just turned in my thesis and I am now bored.
Here's an example of what one of their submission readers said:
"This guy has either the best or the worst cover letter ever. As for the poem, barf-o."
For more(?), go here.
Hmmm...It's pretty clear that the authors/poets of several of the reviled pieces will be able to identify that it is his or her piece being reviled. Not sure if it was very tactful on VQR's part.
ReplyDeleteAnd, considering all the "death of the short story" talk, this definitely would be a disincentive to those who might want to take that first step towards submitting stories, but feel timid.
As I've heard mentioned by others, you submit pieces in order to get the rejection letters - but this may be a little too far.
And, finally, it seems like what's great about laughing at submissions is that only a select few, on the other side, can join in on the laugh.