Experiments in style Extra: the 'editorial remarks' version

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Greetings!

Last week I published the ‘editorial remarks’ version of the story ‘A bang on the head’. Several people found it brought back unfortunate memories of rejection slips! Well, that’s part of the life of a writer, I’m afraid. Or indeed any creative. I was reading the other day that the Impressionists were compelled to set up, and pay for, their own exhibitions before they were well-known, because none of the established art experts thought they were any good, or, in some cases, had even heard of them. And The Beatles were turned down by, I believe, three or four record labels before Parlophone took them on. So of you’ve been the recipient of a rejection by an editor, or unkind comments by one, then you’re in good company. Not just that, but for reasons I’m about to explain, sometimes rejection is by far the best thing that can happen to a writer — particularly if he or she is a relative unknown.

But enough of this persiflage! Let’s take a look behind the scenes of last week’s version.