What can I say, it's been a lousy month for me. Fact of the matter is, I am a very cheerful person normally. I like being happy. Being happy rocks. I want my outlook on life to reflect this:
You know, there comes a point in every writer's life when they have to make tough choices. When all is said and done, what is the end goal? What are the real priorities? Well, ladies and gents, I've reached a crossroads, and for once, I think I finally know what to do. How I can get more of those happy clowns in my life again. All I'll say is this:
8 comments:
You've sent Miss Midas to CHINA!????
Renee honey, I know the audience is huge but there's the language barrier to consider...
This is a wholly disheartening business in many ways. Any artistic form is - (personally Picaso's blue period is my favourite but I gotta ask 'How was it for him'?) - because its very nature is going to leave the artist vulnerable to feeling rejected. You create your baby, you nourish it and nurture it and make it as strong as possible before releasing it to the big wide world and when others don't see what you see, it's really hard not to take it personally. But you simply can't get dejected Renee, because that's death to your creative soul.
Here's what I think (and this is subject to revision when I'm in the throes of submission and lurking, like Eeyore, under a gloomy cloud); you have to treat it like a job. You finish a manuscript, you polish it up, you send it out. And while that's happening you forget completely about it and get on with the next book because as long as you are writing you are learning and improving. Have a plan of action in place - a rota of who to submit to, a timetable to work to. You need to give Miss Midas longer. As has been testified to right here, it's really busy time for agents. You have to remember that they'll have existing clients and book deals that they are already nurturing and while taking on new projects is the bread and butter of their business, if they're busy their priority will be with the ones that are making them money already. This does not mean they are not interested in your MS - it just means they're swamped. A rejection letter is easy-peasy to write, they've got a ton of form letters they can access at the push of a button. It's trawling through the requested partials and making decisions that takes the time.
All's I'm saying is, take a deep breath, Miss Midas is where she should be, concentrate on PAMR. If Miss Midas comes back as a 'No', have the next agent lined up and ready to go. It's a merry-go-round but it's a job.
Oh and clowns? Really? They scare me. All that frenetic energy with undertones of menace...no way! Give me a sail boat and calm sea - now that's happiness!
I love the sound of PAMR - get your excitement on for that one. What have you scribbled in your moleskin today?
Renee, If you seriously were sending that ms out to sea, you wouldn't have called upon us for an SOS. And SOS is what you've got. Haul that boat right back to shore, hon. Set that anchor, put on your suntan lotion, a straw hat, cool shades, and contemplate on deck for awhile. You'll come up with a strategy, whether it's revision or a different marketing plan, or a different genre to fit it in as you consider more agents. I'm with Janey, I'll take a sailboat over clowns any day. The skies will clear, just give it time and you'll be back to smooth sailing.
Ditto to JaneyV.
Aim for the clowns! (Even if they are a tad creepy...)
Renee, as someone who has moved on from a few manuscripts, I can say personally that a writer knows when it's time to move on. You can feel it in your gut.
It's okay. You have other projects. And moving on to one of them isn't saying that you think Midas is bad or that you have given up—you are just taking a different approach.
Write PAMR. Get happy. And regroup. Sometimes the best strategy in the Query War is to retreat. Fight another day!
Just stay far, far away from those clowns, okay? And the creepy floating blue thing above the tent.
This makes me sad, but honestly, if querying has you so down that it's affecting your writing, by all means stop or take a break. It's gonna happen for you sooner or later; we all just prefer sooner ; )
so here's a little secret no one seems to realize when you're writing. Once you get an agent, then she reads your other stuff and tells you how to fix it. LOL! So you only need one ms to grab an agents attention, then they basically work for you and help you make a career and name for yourself! heheeh! It's the coolest part!
And welcome to MMW! We're all excited to have you!
I don't know your whole story about this manuscript and what you've been through with it, but if you feel it needs to be set aside, then set it aside.
Don't burn it or anything. Just .... set it aside and move on.
I set my first novel aside for 12 years. Trust me. You can come back to things later and resurrect them. I did.
I wish you luck. I hope February turns out to be a better month for you. January is hard on everybody, I think.
Renee!! I want you to have the happy clowns in your life again, and only you can figure out how to do that, but I have to say that I read your query on EE and your story sounds so fun and unique. And I've heard through the grapevine that you are a very good writer! It sounds like you get a ton of requests for partials and even fulls, so ovbviously others think the same thing. If this project isn't the one to get your foot in the door, maybe the next one will be and then you can get it published after the fact. Hang in there!
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