Rewrite
I recently received my first rewrite request from an editor. The story I submitted was a flash piece about a selkie. I would love to place this piece, so I will definitely attempt the rewrite. I wonder if I can get a first pass done before my maternity leave is over next week?
I appreciated that the editor’s request explicitly stated what they think the problem is with the piece so I know what needs to be addressed. And, I must admit, I agree with the editor. The basic problem is that the main character needs to have more at stake, more conflict, in the story. As it stands, the main character is more reactive than proactive — something I have to watch for in my writing. I did go back and try to give the main character in this piece a character change after her selkie encounter, but apparently that was not enough.
Now, I must ponder where to go next with this story… At least there is no restriction to keep it flash. The market in question accepts stories up to 4,000 words. I don’t plan to use that many, but adding more to the main character will probably require more words than I have left for it still to be considered flash.
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I’ve had 50/50 luck with rewrite requests. I’ve received 2. Once my rewrite got accepted, another time it didn’t. With the one that didn’t get accepted, they didn’t give me much feedback to work with, so I wasn’t really sure what I was supposed to accomplish. Sounds like your editor was a bet more concrete. Good luck!
I don’t think a reactive character is necessarily a bad thing. Sometimes stories are just character studies, which can be just as interesting.