Another rejection

I'm OK with rejections. I learned it in my first drawing class as a kid. But this one was a little different.

I sent a flash to Every Day Fiction and they rejected it. The critique they sent was very helpful. And unusual. I don't always know the reasons why they don't want the story. This will help me tweak it for the next round. BUT - the part of the rejection that really got to me was about formatting. Somehow, somewhere between my cleanly formatted Word doc and the editor's eyes, my story turned into a sold block of words.

Yikes!

Did they think I was an idiot? Or trying something avant gard? Sheesh. Where did my formatting go?

They said things like - It would have been easier to read if the story was broken into paragraphs.

No, no, no...I didn't do that! I wanted to email right back begging their forgiveness for such a grievous error. I would never have submitted it that way...but somehow I did. It upsets me more than the rejection itself, that I did something stupid. It's like I got to the art show and my painting was upside down.

Luckily, with the rest of the comments, it was clear that they rejected the story based on other reasons. So despite me looking like an idiot, I received a thoughtful critique from them. I'm sure they see worse, but that isn't a distraction I care to throw in the way!

So, that is my latest lesson in online submission. I need to double check how they are submitted.