Letter from Mslexia

Thank you very much for your Departures submission. Unfortunately it has not been selected for publication on this occasion.

There were more entries than usual on this theme, so the competition was pretty fierce. It was a theme that seemed to set off lots of associations and – in the words of our New Writing Guest Editor, Amanda Craig – ‘expressed the great roar of discontent that lies at the heart of too many women’s lives’. So stories and poems about loss tended to predominate, with many submissions about suicide, adultery, murder, desertion and divorce.
The majority were written from a woman’s point of view. Not surprising, perhaps, but it was something our judge commented on as a potential problem. She would have preferred to read about a broader selection of protagonists, including men and children; and characters from a wider range of social backgrounds. So if you are someone who tends to write from a female point of view, that might be something to bear in mind strategically for future submissions to Mslexia! Speaking personally, I have always felt invigorated whenever I have experimented with writing from a male point of view.
Having said that, our judge found many of the submissions truly dynamic and moving; so much so that developing a longlist proved unusually problematic. In the end it was often the use of language that tipped the balance: Amanda felt that some stories would have benefitted from being read aloud, then edited again, paying close attention to the rhythm of the sentences. In this respect the poetry tended to be more successful. Amanda also appreciated the more tangential approach many of the poets took to the theme.
We’re sorry not to be able to discuss individual details of your submission, but you can read the full text of Amanda’s essay on the judging process in the January issue of Mslexia. Unfortunately, some excellent submissions had to be rejected in order to create a balance of contrasting items. It may be that yours was left out because it had exactly the same subject matter or concept as a slightly stronger piece of work. Then there is always the question of space: we have room for fewer than 13 pieces of new work in each issue.
Thank you again. We look forward to receiving more submissions from you in the future.
Best wishes