Kickin’ it old school, when everyone had an aol.com e-mail address…
There is a lot going on in this rejection letter, including some personal advice, suggestions, and encouragement. Letters like this are few and far between — when you get one, cherish it, and know that you’re on the right path.
Hey, what’s wrong with my email address? Also, did you feel obligated to get permission to use these letters? Are they considered private correspondence? I’ve got a nice file of these and am attracted to the idea of using them. For instance the one from the storied NYer editor which stated he was pained to have to say it reminded him too much of John Cheever. Oh, the wound.
Since most of these letters are generic form letters, they are — theoretically — available to most people who submit to a publication. So I don’t feel bad about sharing them. No one has complained.
When a letter contains personal commentary, I remove or obscure the name of the editor (if given). Which, I now realize, I haven’t done above, so I will fix that!