Rejections of good stories

Sorry for sounding like I'm whining, but it's getting more than a little frustrating. I'm getting numerous story rejections where the editors are telling me that they liked it, and that the story is good and well-written. Which tends to put them above most of the stories I read in these mags. So why aren't the editors buying? If an editor has lengthy discussions with other people about the merits of a story, shouldn't they buy the damn thing, especially at bargain rates? You'd think so, huh? When was the last time you had a lengthy discussion about a story? If it makes you think about it that much, it's something that should be published.

Here's excerpts:
"After some lengthy discussion... This is a very well-written piece, with convincing characters, an effective dénouement and a nice twist, and an important social message ... it fell just short of being outstanding... we thought this was an excellently crafted story, with its heart entirely in the right place."

And despite that, they won't publish it. Wow. Just short of outstanding, but not good enough for token pay rates.

And so it's off to another market, a magazine that rejected my last submission thusly:
"Your story was well-written and I could see your characters clearly."

Well, Heaven forbid you should get well-written stories with clear characters. Or support a writer who submits such stuff. And then editors whine about not getting enough quality submissions...

But tenacity is the name of the game. Right after the rejection of the last one, the story sold to House of Horror, where it will appear this month. One man's lengthy, unpublished discussion is another man's sale and readership.

Non carborundum illegitimatus