Got a response from Strange Horizons today. The good part? Personal note!! The bad part... it said that they liked the concept of the glimmer but that there wasn't a lot other than that to the story. *sigh*

Which makes me wonder about my ability to tell what is good story and what is not. Am I writing only vignettes? Am I able to tell a full story, with beginning, middle and end? And can I tell when I'm not?

I took great heart in the note. Honestly, it makes me hope that they thought there was something good there, enough to give constructive criticism instead of just a form reject. Which is so totally cool.

Now I just need to figure out what to do to fix it. "Glimmer" is among the best writing I've done in so long. I really want to find it a home. I don't want to damage it along the way, but I want it to be right and I want to be able to share it. But when I look at it... I think it is a story. I can kind of see the problem, but I can't see how to fix it and retain the essence of what the story is supposed to be.

Either way, I do know I didn't do it right if what I meant to say didn't come through. So I guess I've got some work to do. Although I might try another market or two as is first... see how it goes...