I forgot to mention earlier that I got yet another Honorable Mention from the Writers of the Future. These are the nicest rejections you can get for short fiction since they come with badges and certificates. If you're a writer and haven't hit it big, I believe the contest is worth entering, especially since it's free to enter and has a large cash prize and publication for the winners. It's an opportunity to compare yourself against others in an anonymous contest where you know they evaluate the stories instead of the authors. I know a handful of past winners, as well as several people who, like me, are collecting Honorable Mentions. I managed to get to Semifinalist once.
