I know that we should never respond to a rejection, not even to thank them and wish them well, but if you receive an email stating that your story is being held for closer consideration, would it also be inappropriate to respond with a quick thanks? I was raised in the south, so the desire to thank everyone for everything runs pretty strong.
Thank you. 
HM, R, Published Finalist!, HM
I tend to, but I think the advice is generally not to, unless you have a specific question or they ask you to answer something.
If you do, keep it short. "Got it. Thanks! "
Stewart C Baker - 1st place, Q2 V32
My contest history: Semi-finalist, R, HM, R, R, HM, HM, R, R, R, R, HM, R, R, R, R, Winner
I second that answer. At most acknowledge that you got the message and then move on.
(I too originally hailed from the South and the urge to be overly polite still runs strong.)
Literary saboteur
Blog: http://www.robertmitchellevans.com/
HM X 5
SF X 3
F X 1
Current Rejection Streak: 0
I recently received a "held for consideration" email. At the bottom the editor wrote:
P.S. Are they robots?
I sent a short reply as follows:
Thanks very much for letting me know the status of my story. Regarding your question about whether they are robots, I will respectfully leave that up to the reader.
Warmest regards,
Randy Hulshizer
Three days later, I received a form rejection. Maybe I should have answered the editor's question?
HM X 3
Seems like you answered it pretty well to me.
Stewart C Baker - 1st place, Q2 V32
My contest history: Semi-finalist, R, HM, R, R, HM, HM, R, R, R, R, HM, R, R, R, R, Winner
The answer to that question, is YES.
Career:
1x Win
2x NW-F
2x S-F
9x S-HM
11x HM
7x R
Thanks you guys. I sent a very short "Thank you for the update."
It's the story that got an HM here, so I'm trying hard not to get my hopes up.
HM, R, Published Finalist!, HM
