Doing the Happy Dance by Gerri Brousseau

As you may recall from one of my recent blog posts, I had submitted full manuscripts to different publishers and I was playing the waiting game.  As you know, I was having difficulty in keeping my mind centered on my latest work in progress.  There was much nervous energy, foot tapping, leg giggling and nail biting.

What you may not know is, although I have been writing this blog for nearly a year now, I am not a published author.  I wrote my first complete novel in 2009, wrote my second complete novel in 2010, and wrote a third in 2011, yet none were published.  I put all my attention to writing and really didn't think about trying to get these books published.  Oh, I sent out a few queries and went to a few seminars where I pitched to some agents and editors, but met with no success.  The few queries I had sent out generated requests for partial submissions, but always met with very nicely worded rejections, which is probably why I focused more on the writing than the query process.

Needless to say, the doubt monster took up residence in my mind.  His mere presence made me so angry that I had emailed out queries to a few publishers … which created the nail biting.  One of the publishers got back to me with a rejection.  Frankly, I think I was growing quite accustomed to receiving those even though I have not really gone gung ho on querying.

Then one day last week, I got an email from the publisher who one month earlier had requested full manuscripts on all three of my novels.  I sat there, looking at the unopened email, nervous energy racing through me.  I stared at it for a moment, paralyzed.  My fate was one click away.  I had made up my mind to stop writing if this was yet another rejection.  Yes my friends, I was ready to throw in the towel, giving up, walking away.  The doubt monster was winning.  I had lost belief in myself.  All the negative thoughts that exist in a writer's mind ran through mine as I stared at that unopened email.  I had stopped believing.

My fingers were trembling as I clicked on the email to open it.  I was encouraged by the first two words … "Great news!"  Hmm, maybe this won't be too bad, I thought.  Perhaps this rejection would offer some kind words, or better yet, advice … so I read on.  The email went on to say the publishers enjoyed two of the novels so much, they wanted to publish them!  I screamed!  I started jumping up and down, screaming and dancing around the room with the pugs.  I have heard that getting the call was exciting.  I'm sure we have all heard the stories of many authors who have gotten the call.  Let me assure you, getting the call (or in my case, the email) IS all it's cracked up to be!

How many of you are in the same place I was in?  How many are ready to throw in the towel?  If you are in that place, I urge you to get with your writer friends who will encourage you.  Keep writing, and keep getting your work out there.  Scoff at the doubt monster and most of all, never stop believing.

I have been dancing on Cloud 9 for a week.  Now if I could only come back down to earth and get started on my next book, it would be great.  Anyone have words of advice on that one?

Filed under: romance