Pushing the Envelope

Editor opens submission.

Editor reads submission.

Editor: “What the hell is this? Didn’t they read the damn call? I’m looking for horror stories set in Florida, and this one is set in Alaska…”

As a writer, you want to write pieces that push the envelope on the restrictions of a call’s theme, because those are the stories that stand out as creative and original in the slush pile. Editors want this too—I try to write my calls as broadly as I can to give writers a chance to interpret the theme as creatively as they can.

And we’ve gotten some great stories as a result.

But sometimes, I get submissions that leave me scratching my head as to how they fit the theme.

And I get it. I’ve submitted pieces with tenuous links to the calls. Sometimes it pays off. Most of the time it doesn’t. But you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take, so from time to time, submissions arrive in slush piles that leave editors wondering if the writer read the damn call.

So how do you tell if a piece that pushes the envelope on a call is viable?

Defend it.

Add a line to your cover letter explaining why you think the piece fits the call. Don’t present it defensively, i.e. “I know the call specifies pieces set in Florida, but I think my Alaskan snow gator story is still a good fit.” Go on the offensive instead: “My snow gator story is a perfect blend of Florida weirdness and Alaskan creature horror.”

Yes, you probably will still end up with a rejection, but it tells the editor you considered how the story fit into their call and opens the door to persuading them that yes, a snow gator story is the perfect addition to a Florida anthology. As an editor, I love creativity, and someone trying to convince me that a round peg fits in a square hole will always pique my interest, even if I don’t end up agreeing with them.

It also gives you, the writer, a litmus test. Can’t come up with a (somewhat) plausible one-sentence argument for inclusion? Then submit something else or somewhere else. There’s a line between pushing the envelope and blowing it to smithereens, and part of developing a good reputation as a writer is knowing (roughly) where that line is.

You can try to persuade someone a round peg will fit in a square hole and be fine, but if you try to jam it in and walk away, you’re not going to look good doing it. 

So push the envelope. Just be sure you have an argument that your piece can work within the call’s parameters, and present it in your cover letter. 

And hope the editor likes round pegs in square holes.