Following Directions

[alanajoli]

I have always been a big proponent of following directions. On many writing assignments I've taken on, this has been vital--and when I was an editor, any writer who couldn't or wouldn't follow directions didn't receive further assignments. It's really a solid rule. Do it.

So you can imagine my mortification upon receiving an e-mail from one of the Strange Horizons editors today that stated I had not followed the "cover letter" guidelines. Cover letter guidelines? I pulled out the fiction guidelines I had printed off. Nowhere did it state specifications for the cover letter. I went back to the website. There, on the submission upload page, is a very clear link to their cover letter requirements. I failed them, utterly and completely.

They are very kindly still reviewing my submission, and I sent a very brief e-mail to the effect that I appreciated having the guidelines pointed out to me and that I would be sure to follow them in the future.

*sigh*

Note: There is sadly not a "mortified" mood in the mood selection I have chosen, else I would label this as such.

Comments

[holmes-iv.livejournal.com]

<cringe>
I hate moments like that. I'm informed by friends of mine who do not have delusions of infallibility that they are actually a normal aspect of the human condition. To which I can only say bah! Humbug! (And some cuss-words in Dwarven, I suppose, but I don't know how to transcribe those.)

[alanajoli.livejournal.com]

Dwarven cussing does indeed seem applicable here. I don't mind so much making a mistake as making one that is a) out of character, and b) a first impression. If someone already knew me well enough to know I'm typically a stickler for following guidelines--and that I'd gone over their fiction guidelines several times to ensure that I was following them correctly--it wouldn't be quite so embarassing.

[elven-wolf.livejournal.com]

Ouch. Yeah, I've felt that.

[alanajoli.livejournal.com]

And unfortunately, no matter how many times I've felt it, it never feels less ouchy... ;)

[eyezofwolf.livejournal.com]

OUCH! I feel your pain... Sorry about that. At least they are still reviewing it, right?

[alanajoli.livejournal.com]

Yes, and I'm very grateful for that. And at least now I know better for the future (and perhaps am spreading the word a bit among the writing circles that there's in fact a second set of submission guidelines to be aware of...)

[dmoonfire.livejournal.com]

I always hate when I forget something. Even something as simple as phone number when I feel the need to send in another request (like forgetting the SASE for the last round of MR). I always think that doing a followup pretty much ensures that it's doomed, just as ignoring it. Catch-22, either way, I've made a bad impression.

I really hate it when guidelines don't give details. Like, mandatory font size or margins. While I pretty much default to 12pt Courier for most things, I've encountered places that want much differing margins (0.5" verses 1"), required fonts (Times New Roman for a few places, anything but Courier), etc. It seems like there is always question when I fill out a guidelines, but I'm also a stickler for rules.

I just find something I missed 30 seconds after it is lost in the male

Every. Single. Time.

:)