--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We sometimes received - and I would read…" description: "\"We sometimes received - and I would read - 200 manuscripts a week. Some of them were wonderful, some were terrible; most were mediocre. It was like the..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f2/marilyn-hacker-13845_fairy_we-sometimes-received-and-i-would-read-2_3235119.png" --- # We sometimes received - and I would read - 200 manuscripts… ![“We sometimes received - and I would read - 200 manuscripts a week. Some of them were wonderful, some were terrible; most were mediocre. It was like the gifts of the good and bad fairies.” quote by Marilyn Hacker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f2/marilyn-hacker-13845_fairy_we-sometimes-received-and-i-would-read-2_3235119.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f2/marilyn-hacker-13845_fairy_we-sometimes-received-and-i-would-read-2_3235119.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f2/marilyn-hacker-13845_fairy_we-sometimes-received-and-i-would-read-2_3235119.png) > “We sometimes received - and I would read - 200 manuscripts a week. Some of them were wonderful, some were terrible; most were mediocre. It was like the gifts of the good and bad fairies.” [Marilyn Hacker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-hacker/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. She describes the high volume of manuscript submissions, noting the wide range of quality from excellent to terrible, likening the process to receiving gifts from both good and bad fairies. **In simple terms:** She receives many manuscripts, most mediocre, some great, some awful. Key Takeaway Expect varied quality; focus on the gems. Themes literature editing quality assessment Mood reflective analytical Type observational critical When to use this quote - publishing - literary agents - reading - selection Key Concepts creative process evaluation curation Questions to Reflect On - How do you decide which manuscripts to pursue? - What criteria define “wonderful” versus “mediocre”? A Different Perspective Not all submissions merit attention; time constraints limit deep review. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [200 Manuscripts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/200-manuscripts-6135551/) [Fairy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fairy/) [Gifts Good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gifts-good-1948116/) [Good and bad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-and-bad/) [Manuscripts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/manuscripts/) [Manuscripts Week](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/manuscripts-week-6135552/) [Mediocre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mediocre/) [Read 200](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/read-200-6135553/) [Sometimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sometimes/) [Terrible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/terrible/) [Week](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/week/) [Wonderful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wonderful/) ## Related quotes > [Enemies gifts are no gifts and do no good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/enemies-gifts-are-no-gifts-and-do-no-good/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [“The best gifts anyone can give to themselves are good health habits.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-j-barrier/the-best-gifts-anyone-can-give-to-themselves-are-good-health-habits/) [Ellen J. 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The whole idea is regarded as a novelty, or an oddity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-hacker/the-phenomenon-of-university-creative-writing-programs-doesn-t-exist/) [Marilyn Hacker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-hacker/) > [“From Orient Point The art of living isn't hard to muster: Enjoy the hour, not what it might portend. When someone makes you promises,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-hacker/from-orient-point-the-art-of-living-isn-t-hard-to-muster-enjoy-the/) [Marilyn Hacker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-hacker/) > [Translation makes me look at how a poem is put together in a different way, without the personal investment of the poem I'm writing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-hacker/translation-makes-me-look-at-how-a-poem-is-put-together-in-a/) [Marilyn Hacker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-hacker/) > [“imagine that it were given back to me to be the child who knew departure would be sweet, the boy who drew square-rigged ships,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-hacker/imagine-that-it-were-given-back-to-me-to-be-the-child-who-knew/) [Marilyn Hacker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-hacker/) > [As a teacher you are more or less obliged to pay the same amount of attention to everything. That can wear you down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-hacker/as-a-teacher-you-are-more-or-less-obliged-to-pay-the-same-amount-of/) [Marilyn Hacker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-hacker/) > [“Nearly a Valediction" You happened to me. I was happened to like an abandoned building by a bull- dozer, like the van that missed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-hacker/nearly-a-valediction-you-happened-to-me-i-was-happened-to-like-an/) [Marilyn Hacker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-hacker/) > [“Sweetheart, it isn’t lust; it’s all the rest of what I want with you that scares me shitless.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-hacker/sweetheart-it-isn-t-lust-it-s-all-the-rest-of-what-i-want-with-you/) [Marilyn Hacker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-hacker/) [Explore all 49 Marilyn Hacker quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-hacker/) ## More Fairy quotes > [Once upon a time. 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It's the fake happily ever afters that should piss you off.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colleen-hoover/you-can-t-get-mad-at-a-real-ending-some-of-them-are-ugly-it-s-the/) [Colleen Hoover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colleen-hoover/) > [“ Happily-ever-afters don't come in happily-every-days . They are found at the end of challenges-ever-met, promises-ever-kept, and tears-ever-wept.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-e-goodrich/happily-ever-afters-don-t-come-in-happily-every-days-they-are-found/) [Richelle E. Goodrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-e-goodrich/) > [A real flame of love is a subtle thing. It burns as a will-o'-the-wisp, dancing onward to fairy lands of delight. 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