failures

Here is my latest essay on writing at Intergalactic Medicine Show, on meeting deadlines.

I have been thinking about my failures today, and I think what I learned was that there is a lot of truth to the idea that there is no such thing as failure unless you give up. But there are certainly things that feel like failure.

1--After I had published my first book with Holiday House, The Monster In Me, I tried for two years to get them to publish my second book. It was called Counting Steps, and in the beginning it was told alternately from the povs of an autistic boy and his younger brother. I tried using only the normal brother's pov at one point in the many, many stops along the way of my revision attempts. I could not get my editor to bite on that manuscript, and it wasn't because she didn't like the concept. I felt like a failure because I couldn't revise it well enough, and eventually, she told me to stop sending it to her (nicely, of course). I didn't sell a second book to her. Ever.

But looking back on this, my only regret is that I didn't figure out sooner that the revision wasn't working. It's not that I think the book is a bad one, but I wasn't ready to write it then. Honestly, I do not know if I am ready now. But I may get there at some point. And that closed door led to other open doors with my fantasy writing, which I am very glad to have a chance to show to the world.

2--After I published Mira, Mirror with Viking, I sent the editor The Stepmother's Story, about Cinderella's stepmother, and it was rejected. Then I sent The Princess and the Hound and we worked on it for two years, but eventually it was rejected as "too old," which was the same reason The Stepmother's Story was rejected. I was devastated. Two books, two houses. What was wrong with me that I couldn't write a second book that an editor liked? I had tried so hard to write in the same genre for the same audience in those second books. But it didn't work.

Then a few weeks later, my agent sold The Princess and the Hound to Harper, where I have been very happy. Except . . .

3--After The Princess and the Hound came out, I sent four manuscripts to my editor, thinking that we would have to find a match in there somewhere. The editor ended up asking for a fifth manuscript and took it to committee. But it was turned down, at least in its current state, though the editor still liked it. She just didn't think the market was ready for it. Then she told me that the committee wanted a sequel to The Princess and the Hound. Problem" I had no sequel ideas. So I had to wait for about six months for one to hit me. And then I get a new contract and all was well, until . . .

4--My editor was laid off in 2008 amidst the massive economy down turn of that year. I was assigned to another editor I had never worked with before or met. And unlike in many cases, my old editor wasn't moving to another house where I could submit to her and my old house. I kept working on my projects with Harper, but I was devastated. Losing an editor sucks, even in the best of cases, and mine was certainly the best. Harper still loved my series and wanted it to succeed and did lots of marketing to help it. But I missed my editor.

And then this year, she landed at Egmont and we are a happy team again.

I'm not saying all failures end in getting what you want. But if you keep moving forward, you find that the wall blocking you led you to find a different path--or perhaps make a different path. And maybe what you wanted there isn't what you wanted anymore or it doesn't matter because you can't imagine being happier than you are now.



I have some really fun news to share with you soon about this blog and some attention it has gotten! *Tease* *Tease*