Jaimi,
Hello and welcome to Jacket Flap.
You're right in assuming that it's impossible to tell if editors actually mean such (almost) compliments. They're usually nice people and have no reason to offend you. You can assume that when they say, "It doesn't fit," it probably doesn't (but it ... more

Jaimi,
Hello and welcome to Jacket Flap.
You're right in assuming that it's impossible to tell if editors actually mean such (almost) compliments. They're usually nice people and have no reason to offend you. You can assume that when they say, "It doesn't fit," it probably doesn't (but it might in a few months).
They're too busy to give any real help for future submissions, so it's important for us newbies to take everything with a grain of salt.
One suggestion I have that might be of help has to do with your getting honest criticism from someone who has some knowledge of the process. You may already be doing this; if not, I suggest you find or create a small critique group of writers in your area (meeting once a week is about right). People who will critique your work in a friendly and helpful way, in exchange for you critiquing their work.
Three or four writers getting down to the nitty gritty of critiquing each other's work can be of invaluable experience as well as give valid feedback about the quality of your stories. It's worth looking for such people.
Good luck with it all.