The Writing Life: Waiting and waiting and waiting. Is patience really a virtue?
The Writing Life: Waiting and waiting and waiting. Is patience really a virtue?
Of course patience is a virtue, its just one I’m still waiting to possess.
If you don’t like to wait and not hear a word, good or bad, for days, no weeks, probably more like months, then the writing life isn’t for you. I waited for about five to six years from the time I wrote my first book, until I held that published book in my hands. And with tons of naivety that I believe a lot of first time authors suffer with, I thought the wait was over.
It was not.
Each time I submitted a synopsis for a new project, I had to wait to hear back. My first two book contracts were signed without an agent—big mistake but a necessity sometimes—and I think that may have added to my wait time. Even now, 25+ books later, I still wait. And it grates on my last nerve!
Just about a month ago my agent called me laughing. She said, “I would have never pegged you for an impatient person.” Well, I laughed right back because I don’t know why after all this time she hadn’t realized that. Could it be that possibly I’m getting better at waiting? Huh, I wonder if progress does come no matter how old you are. LOL
Here’s the bottom line, editors have a bunch of submissions on their desks, some they like, some they don’t and some they just have no idea why it’s there in the first place. Agents, have probably double the submissions because they don’t have the pleasure of saying “agented queries only”. And when you think about it logically, they (said editor or agent) only have one pair of eyes. I don’t know about you, but I like for an editor and/or agent to really read my work, not just gloss over it. So if that means I have to wait an additional four weeks (tacked on to the six weeks I’ve already waited) just so they have a semi-clear head or at the very least a great big cup of steaming hot coffee, when they sit down to look at my work, then okay, I’ll have to find some patience from somewhere. It’s still not easy, really it’s not and I wanted to be the first to warn any aspiring authors that just because you finally get to the other side, the rules don’t really change all that much.
So you ask yourself daily, “is it worth it?” The answer comes each time I’m sent a cover to review for my book. Then when I see that book on the shelves—and snap a picture because I absolutely love to do that—I’m elated all over again. It is soooooo worth it and that’s why I keep praying for more and more patience.
Next Installment: The Writing Life—Wait a minute, doesn’t the publisher handle promotion?
Temptation Rising
Of course patience is a virtue, its just one I’m still waiting to possess.
If you don’t like to wait and not hear a word, good or bad, for days, no weeks, probably more like months, then the writing life isn’t for you. I waited for about five to six years from the time I wrote my first book, until I held that published book in my hands. And with tons of naivety that I believe a lot of first time authors suffer with, I thought the wait was over.
It was not.
Each time I submitted a synopsis for a new project, I had to wait to hear back. My first two book contracts were signed without an agent—big mistake but a necessity sometimes—and I think that may have added to my wait time. Even now, 25+ books later, I still wait. And it grates on my last nerve!
Just about a month ago my agent called me laughing. She said, “I would have never pegged you for an impatient person.” Well, I laughed right back because I don’t know why after all this time she hadn’t realized that. Could it be that possibly I’m getting better at waiting? Huh, I wonder if progress does come no matter how old you are. LOL
Here’s the bottom line, editors have a bunch of submissions on their desks, some they like, some they don’t and some they just have no idea why it’s there in the first place. Agents, have probably double the submissions because they don’t have the pleasure of saying “agented queries only”. And when you think about it logically, they (said editor or agent) only have one pair of eyes. I don’t know about you, but I like for an editor and/or agent to really read my work, not just gloss over it. So if that means I have to wait an additional four weeks (tacked on to the six weeks I’ve already waited) just so they have a semi-clear head or at the very least a great big cup of steaming hot coffee, when they sit down to look at my work, then okay, I’ll have to find some patience from somewhere. It’s still not easy, really it’s not and I wanted to be the first to warn any aspiring authors that just because you finally get to the other side, the rules don’t really change all that much.
So you ask yourself daily, “is it worth it?” The answer comes each time I’m sent a cover to review for my book. Then when I see that book on the shelves—and snap a picture because I absolutely love to do that—I’m elated all over again. It is soooooo worth it and that’s why I keep praying for more and more patience.
Next Installment: The Writing Life—Wait a minute, doesn’t the publisher handle promotion?
Temptation Rising
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