Thanks a million for mentioning that so many writers now get no rejections at all now. It's a big issue I'd thought of mentioning at least in passing but that seems to deserve a story of its own: How do you keep going amid all that silence?

Another commenter has also mentioned that challenge and maybe the two of you will inspire me to do a second story. just on that.

A related issue is that the witch's brew you mention also involves an editor's time crunch: When you have too little, you fall back on potted words and phrases like "unsuitable." I'm glad I'm not just starting out now.