I don’t mind rejection, but not when it seems arbitrary. Ah, the whim of editors. One declined my manuscript because her pet peeve is present tense, and she’s also looking for multicultural stories, so ultimately, mine doesn’t work for her. Not much I can do about that, especially considering it’s NOT in present tense.

Another praised “the charmingly universal quality” of the novel, and the family, which she found “endearing and infuriating all at once,” and the worries and desires of the narrator rang familiar and true, but she didn’t like the narrator’s voice. Not much I can do about that, either.

At least neither editor mentioned any glaring flaws such as boring plot, overly sentimental writing, or the ending sucked. Their rejections strike me as subjective. The good news is two have asked for more time (which my agent happily granted) and she has yet to hear from the majority of editors.

Meanwhile, I keep slogging away.