No Rest For The Weary Writer

Apparently, I never updated you with the latest news on my journey to publication. So here it is:

Inexperienced in the whole process, from querying to publishing, I had no idea what to expect once I signed on with an agent. I’ve heard and read stories about how long it usually takes to tweak/rework/rewrite/revise/edit a manuscript once submitted to the agent. From the information I’d heard, I planned on four months. After all, I’m not her only client and she’s juggling other projects.

I figured that four months would be a time of respite. A time to breathe, relax, not waiting on pins and needles, checking my emails constantly, wondering if I’d hear back from an agent, and if so, would it be an acceptance or rejection. I’d just spent nine months entrenched in such behavior. The editing phase would be a nice recess from that stress.

Surprise, Surprise

Only, much to my surprise, I wasn’t afforded the break. Sure, it’s great that I’m onto the next step: submitting to publishers, but it happened way faster than I’d anticipated. My edits only took a week. One week. I was shocked. But I suppose that’s what happens when you work endlessly on a project, continually reworking it, revising it, editing it until my vision blurred. It was ready. I, on the other, was not.

I wasn’t prepared to jump right back into the stress pool. I thought I’d have time to wade in the glory of finding an agent, bask in the accomplishment. Breathe. Not so much. Here I am, in the throes of waiting, keeping my fingers crossed, and praying for an acceptance, all of it out of my control. All I can do is sit back and hope that my work speaks for itself.

Champagne Dreams?

Maybe I should set up another rejection jar. Perhaps buying another expensive bottle of champagne will help again. Hopefully, if I do a motivation jar again, it won’t be as nearly filled as the last one!

I need to heed the advice on that mug pictured above. This is all good stuff. Still, any good wishes and positive vibes are always welcomed.