What Editors Want

Here's a very good article by Lynne Barrett in The Review Review entitled "What Editors Want; A Must-Read for Writers Submitting to Literary Magazines." The first two sections are specifically about short stories, but starting from the third section "Submission" and following through "How to Receive a Rejection," "How to Respond to a Minimally Encouraging Letter," "How to Respond to a Longer, More Personal Rejection," to the concluding three sections, there is a plethora of excellent advice for anyone submitting to literary mags, including some specific, brief and appropriate language to use when it wouldn't be advisable to say what you really feel.