Ok, I know that basically the answer is "No, don't do it." but what if you rewrote a story such that you only retain about 20% of what you had in the original version and most of it is completely different?
Ok, let's just spell it out. I've rewritten a story that starts out like to the old version, but ends in a completely different way with even a different theme. I kept the first page and deleted and changed everything after that. Any thoughts? Should I just give it up?
I suppose as some piont there has to be room to submit a story to a market that is based off of or is in some way similiar to something you've submitted before, even if it's just in a coincidental way. I've also thought of combining a couple stories that have failed into something new and (hopefully) more creative. At what point is a story different enough that an editor would not be annoyed and blackball anything I sent?
Susan
I'm glad you brought this up since I just got my very first rejection letter (yeah!). The story I'd sent off is one of several that have been going through major re-writes and I was curious about the rules.
Keeley: Congratulations!!! Yes, congrats on a rejection. Why? Because it means you wrote, edited, revised and SUBMITTED!! That's a lot further than some people get, and more than I've done so far. *sheepish grin*
But I remember my promise, that I will submit no less than 6 shorts this year.
Christine, hope they like the rewrite better!
Susan
I know how you feel, but I still suspect that you'll probably be better off submitting to a different market.
If what they said about the story before was positive at all (or if there was any kind of encouragement to send them something else), I might go along with you telling them that you had extensively written the story, but they might still not bother to read it. Since they didn't ask you to rewrite and resubmit, it also might annoy them.
Is there really no other place to send it?
I'm wary of sending it to pro markets because it just doesn't have that kind of feel. I've sent it to as many of the sort of "in-between" markets as I'm familiar with, the ones that pay fairly well but aren't quite pro and have pretty good reputations. At this point, if the one market I haven't tried doesn't want it then I'm left with lowering standards. (Honestly, if these markets didn't want it I don't see it going pro.)
In any case, I've played with it some and the opening paragraphs aren't the same, the location isn't the same, the theme isn't the same, and the resolution isn't the same. In fact, only one thing is the same (and some of you have read the first version of this os it might sound familiar): a man was turned into a cat one hundred years ago. The reason why has changed, as well as the way he gets to be a human again. It's almost turned into a new story inspired by the old story, rather than a rewrite, which I guess is the reason I started this topic. Still, there is one more market I'm going to try (once I get the bugs worked out) and after that I have to chose whether to lower my standards or hope these semi-pro markets have passed over a real winner that the pro markets might be willing to take (but like I said, I'm not feeling that confident with it...) or just bury it. I hate burying stories, it feels like such a waste.
Like I said, I do basically agree with you in princial, but it's like I said, there's a point that a story almost isn't the original story anymore...
quote:
In fact, only one thing is the same (and some of you have read the first version of this os it might sound familiar): a man was turned into a cat one hundred years ago. The reason why has changed, as well as the way he gets to be a human again.
Okay, that sounds like a second story with the same idea, not a rewrite of an old story.
I don't think you'd need to say anything if you sent this to the same market. At worst, the editor is going to think something along the lines of "she sure likes that particular idea."
Consider, if someone did an anthology about people turning into cats through history, there'd be bound to be other stories out there like yours. But if that's all that is similar, no one would accuse anyone of copying you, right?
If someone else had written this story, would you think they'd stolen your first story from you? Maybe that's the best way to decide if it's different enough. (Anyone can steal an idea.)
By the way, have you changed the title of the story?