What to
do while I wait for a reply or a contract or a rejection letter?
- Eat chocolate
- Clean your garage
- Organize the sock drawer
- Stalk your editor on Facebook- no wait, only in my dreams
- Post on your blog
- Eat more chocolate
- Watch a movie
- Pretend not to care
- Look in my mailbox every day, every hour, (not my real mailbox, the electronic one)
- Relax and start a new project- hah, easier said than done.
So, the
hard part about waiting is waiting. It
makes no sense, but my mind won’t let go of all the expectations I have for
that manuscript once it left my hot little computer.
I
fantasize about what might happen, the famous people I will meet, the loads of
money that I will earn. I hope I am like
a breakout author who has instant success.
I dread rejection, I mean, how dare anyone say something is wrong with
my work.
Maybe I should
occupy my waiting time with writing?
Jane
Yolen said it best when she says rule number one is “B. I. C. - butt in chair.”
There is
nothing I can do, no amount of hoping that will make the process go faster or
change the outcome of my project. I find
that after I sent out my story, feeling confident I will get a quick reply-
(it’s been 3 months, should I worry?)- I can’t even think of another story.
It’s
like my mind is stuck on the one I sent out because I haven’t had closure with
it yet. How can another idea pop into my
head with that open wound? I say wound
because until it is published and making me money, it won’t seem like it’s
healed.
The hard
part for me is the idea. This was my first novel, my first attempt at writing
and even being part of a blog and a critique group. I had a solid and great idea. I turned it into a book with my group’s help.
I got people interested in it and sent it off as requested.
I felt
bold. And boom, now what? I got nothing. Will my group think I am a fraud? A one hit
wonder?
So, what
to do when you send the manuscript out?
Write,
write and write!
Even if
it never sees the light of day, if I keep putting one word in front of the
other, something good is bound to develop. (Right? Someone please tell me this
is true.)
In the
meantime, I will eat chocolate and organize my sock drawer (and yeah, keep
writing.)
I know how you feel!! I'm off to fnd chocolate...or an idea...
ReplyDeleteMake cookies...coookkkiiieeesss!
ReplyDeleteHilde is right. The hardest part of waiting is waiting. Love this post.
Keep submitting. The hardest part is turning it around and sending it out again.
ReplyDeleteThe more things I have out there the easier it is to handle waiting - or rejections.
ReplyDeleteIt's a hard lesson to learn - i'm waiting to hear about four submissions/comps just now and checking emails constantly (and trying not to eat chocolate). It's one of the reasons I flit between different types of writing, so I've always got something on the go while impatiently waiting for replies!
ReplyDeleteThe waiting is torture. I tend to be relived when I don't see a reply because I know there is still a chance then the self doubt sets in and I'm convinced it won't be.
ReplyDeleteKeep on writing or take a much needed break while you're waiting. I know that waiting is pure agony. You just can't help waiting for the mail person, though!
ReplyDeleteChocolate sounds like a great idea while waiting! Writing is a bit more productive though. Fun post, but definitely good advice to write, write and write!
ReplyDeleteAccording to Tom Petty, the waiting is the hardest part. Meanwhile, it's my pajama drawer than needs organizing...
ReplyDelete