And again...

Email back from the Touched by Wonder anthology, to which I subbed A SHADE OF YELLOW:

"After careful review of your work, I have decided to decline.  Though you are a talented writer with a gift for startling imagery, I feel the story is not a good fit for the anthology as it is shaping up to be."

Once again with the "this story has its merits, but it's not right for our anthology."  Most annoying. 

This is my sixth rejection for this story, and I wouldn't be overly surprised if it netted a few more before finally finding a home.  Why?  When the wonderful Katie of Buns read through it for me, she commented on the fact that there's no particular resolution to the story -- and this is something I'm aware of with no intention to change.  To me, the story is a window, both for the character Mari and for the reader; it's a window into a much larger world (of politics etc) that Mari is granted for a few days before it's taken away and her life reverts to normal.  That's all there is to the story.  The only kind of resolution is that Mari realises she's been used, and her perception of the city's current situation has been changed a little.

So it doesn't particularly surprise me when this story gets a rejection.  It's not a standard storytelling format, and I can understand it not working for plenty of editors (or editors feeling it won't work for their readers).  But I like it.  I really like it. And I have no intention to change it, to give it a resolution, because that would mean making it a completely different story and (a) I like it, and (b) I'm lazy.  But mostly it's (a). 

Just means I need to accept that it's going to be a particularly tough story to find a home for.  Oh well.  All a girl can do is keep trying!