No word yet on the partial I sent out. Those of you who have been in this situation, know what it feels like. This is my first time. I'd be as cool as the other side of the pillow, if I could say there was no anxiety. There is- a ton of it. I also know that I put my best foot forward. I went over those first 50 pages with a fine tooth comb, a magnifying glass and a pair of tweezers. Once it was in the mail, I went to work on the rest of the manuscript; if they ask for a full, I vowed to be prepared.
I finished up the manuscript on Tuesday and put it away. I'm letting it percolate. I'll pick it up again today or tomorrow and give it a last going over, which is something I do with all of my work. When I put it away at the end of the day, I'll move on to the next project.
It will be hard letting this book go. I've spent almost 8 months living and breathing with it. However, I think that dwelling on this one book and this one partial, is not the way towards progress. I need to re-charge. I'll do that with my next novel, which comes from a short story I wrote for the Drowning Machine's Watery Grave contest. It didn't win, but I see the potential.
If the partial succeeds and they ask for a full, I'll be a happy man. If it doesn't, I'll get serious sending out queries to other agents. Success or failure- either way, I cannot stop the writing process. Either way, I have to get better. And I do. Every time I write, I get better. Thinking about it, this is the fun part of being a writer; being new to it. You see progress, each time you put something on paper.
Mike, I wish you the best of luck, but no point telling you to be chill, I think that's an impossibility, I wish you the best and hope it shines!
ReplyDeleteI appreciate that Lee. What helped me, was going back and reading one of Matt Hilton's interviews, in regards to perseverance...that guy is a beacon for me.
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty damn sure it'll work out well for you.
ReplyDeleteBest of luck - we've all got one foot in the cold waters, but after a few falls, it doesn't hurt so much.
ReplyDeleteI've got 334 pages I'm plucking write now - this one could hurt a little:)
Hi Paul, I'm confident about my writing and I'm even more convinced about the importance of short stories, in a writer's development (I'm no Paul Brazill, but I'm working on it;^)
ReplyDeleteHi Erin- thanks for stopping by and luckily the water here in Florida is tepid...most of the time.
I wish you all the best. I'm hoping to have something to send out myself in a few months so I'll be watching what happens to you with a lot of interest.
ReplyDeleteNaomi Johnson
Hi Naomi,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the support. As you are probably beginning to figure out, the writing process is a pleasure. Building a good query, synopsis, etc., is the painful side of it.
I realize I'm nowhere (yet) but if I can be of any help, just let me know.
All the best Mike. Hope to be in the same situation one day. Stick at it. Have put a link on my blog to yours and will be checking in to see your progress...
ReplyDeleteGood luck and regards, David.