Somewhere inside, my inner M. is sobbing openly.
I'm trying to be realistic about this. Rejection is a fact of life and, although I'm okay with them, I'm also counting down Jack King's projected twelve- that means there's a 'yes' out there somewhere, with my name on it, right? Of course, if I never hear back from anyone (or if it takes an annoyingly-long time for that agent to respond), how am I ever supposed to know whether it's the idea itself that sucks, or maybe something else?
My theory- it's the query.
Admittedly, I learned how to write one from a sample that I found on a published writer's website; I then filled in the blanks, and used her example as a template, which I'm beginning to think was a bad idea. I recently read that agents want your query to show off your personality, as well as that of your novel- upon rereading my own, of course, I have discovered the missing ingredient: ME!
This letter needs more ME! There's not enough of ME (or K, or M, or anyone else) in it- of course, that doesn't mean that I'm going to write them a note in my own blood, threatening to kill myself if they don't accept the book, or attempt to bribe them with cake and fluffy bunnies. It simply means that I'll change things around a bit, so that the proposal better reflects ME and sounds less like a template- I'm an Aquarius, and everyone knows that we Aquariuses love templates, just as much as we love surprise root-canals and the occasional UTI. You get the picture.
Sorry, K- no cake or fluffy bunnies for you, today.
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Badge of Determination #2.
Chalk another one up to the Wall of Rejection!
It's a little disappointing, but only because it's not even the book that's being rejected at this point- it's the idea itself, the query, and me/the writer. Clearly, one of the three of us needs fixing, and I'm not sure which one is the problem- maybe it's all of the above.
Back to the drawing... er, writing... board!
-
Acceptances: 0
Rejections: 2
Manuscript requests: 0
It's a little disappointing, but only because it's not even the book that's being rejected at this point- it's the idea itself, the query, and me/the writer. Clearly, one of the three of us needs fixing, and I'm not sure which one is the problem- maybe it's all of the above.
Back to the drawing... er, writing... board!
-
Acceptances: 0
Rejections: 2
Manuscript requests: 0
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Wanted: Inspiration
As you can see, my lack of posting has (probably) made it obvious that my inkwell is drying up. When you're a writer, whether well-known or not, this is never a good sign.
That all said, my main excuse for slacking is that I'm looking for a job (again), as I'm not getting many hours at the current one anymore and need something to supplement my paycheques there. If I could make money from writing on the side, that would be great (some literary journals pay $50-200 per article/poem/thing), but most of them take anywhere from 6 months to a year to reply- that doesn't help my cause right now. EI is a godsend- not just to me, but to anyone who lives away from home and needs to eat.
One of the things keeping me the most busy right now is editing the book... again. This was something that I was hoping to avoid, at least until I had enough rejection letters... I mean, badges of determination... to attest to the fact that the thing sucks; however, I did myself in by writing that awesome query-letter. Talk about shooting yourself in the foot- both literally, and in context.
It's interesting, though, how my characters have told me what to do over the years, rather than the other way around. For example, E. (M's girlfriend) was annoyed that she never got to tell her story, so I gave her a few chapters to herself; F. (K's uncle, and M's dad) has always been a meanie, but he somehow turned into a total d**chebag, who does all kinds of not-so-nice things to his family; and then there are B., D., (E's bffs), J. (all three are in M's band), T. (K's older sister), and L. (T's bff) who insisted on ruining every, single sappy scene that I wrote, with either their antics or ignorance.... Not fair! I am the allmighty Author, and you'll all do as I tell you, from now on!
(Not likely to happen- it never works that way.)
Clearly, these are desperate times.
That all said, my main excuse for slacking is that I'm looking for a job (again), as I'm not getting many hours at the current one anymore and need something to supplement my paycheques there. If I could make money from writing on the side, that would be great (some literary journals pay $50-200 per article/poem/thing), but most of them take anywhere from 6 months to a year to reply- that doesn't help my cause right now. EI is a godsend- not just to me, but to anyone who lives away from home and needs to eat.
One of the things keeping me the most busy right now is editing the book... again. This was something that I was hoping to avoid, at least until I had enough rejection letters... I mean, badges of determination... to attest to the fact that the thing sucks; however, I did myself in by writing that awesome query-letter. Talk about shooting yourself in the foot- both literally, and in context.
It's interesting, though, how my characters have told me what to do over the years, rather than the other way around. For example, E. (M's girlfriend) was annoyed that she never got to tell her story, so I gave her a few chapters to herself; F. (K's uncle, and M's dad) has always been a meanie, but he somehow turned into a total d**chebag, who does all kinds of not-so-nice things to his family; and then there are B., D., (E's bffs), J. (all three are in M's band), T. (K's older sister), and L. (T's bff) who insisted on ruining every, single sappy scene that I wrote, with either their antics or ignorance.... Not fair! I am the allmighty Author, and you'll all do as I tell you, from now on!
(Not likely to happen- it never works that way.)
Clearly, these are desperate times.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
What's In A Name?
A lot, actually.
"If people have to read your book to know what the title means, you're not there yet..."
I found out from Writer's Digest magazine that my book's title needs to change. Fine, since I was thinking about it anyway, but really... In theory, it's like renaming your kid, after s/he has already been Anne or Kyle for seven years, and then having to remember to call him/her by the new name that s/he has chosen for him/herself- no doubt something like Gwendolyn, or Atticus. Needless to say, I've tried a few different ones, and nothing seems to fit as well as the original- except, as shown above, some long, fancy one that is three times the length.
Admittedly, I hated my name as a kid, and didn't grow into it until I was 16, or so. Still, I was born, and will probably also die, with that name and I sincerely doubt that I'll be changing it to Alexandra or Catherine (apologies to my sister!) anytime soon. It may sound more fluffy and romantic (great, if I wrote romance), but I've kinda grown on 'Laura'- it's a strong name and, as a book-title also should, represents me (the hapless subject-matter) and what I'm about.
-
In other news, the agency that I've been dying to pitch to has finally reopened to submissions, and I stayed up all night writing a killer query. Thing is, I'm beginning to think that the only thing I've killed with it is myself- while accurate to the plot, it made me find a couple of holes in my manuscript that need filling in, and I now have to rewrite the whole thing before I even think about submitting... Argh!
-
Off to give my little Atticus another makeover,
L.
"If people have to read your book to know what the title means, you're not there yet..."
I found out from Writer's Digest magazine that my book's title needs to change. Fine, since I was thinking about it anyway, but really... In theory, it's like renaming your kid, after s/he has already been Anne or Kyle for seven years, and then having to remember to call him/her by the new name that s/he has chosen for him/herself- no doubt something like Gwendolyn, or Atticus. Needless to say, I've tried a few different ones, and nothing seems to fit as well as the original- except, as shown above, some long, fancy one that is three times the length.
Admittedly, I hated my name as a kid, and didn't grow into it until I was 16, or so. Still, I was born, and will probably also die, with that name and I sincerely doubt that I'll be changing it to Alexandra or Catherine (apologies to my sister!) anytime soon. It may sound more fluffy and romantic (great, if I wrote romance), but I've kinda grown on 'Laura'- it's a strong name and, as a book-title also should, represents me (the hapless subject-matter) and what I'm about.
-
In other news, the agency that I've been dying to pitch to has finally reopened to submissions, and I stayed up all night writing a killer query. Thing is, I'm beginning to think that the only thing I've killed with it is myself- while accurate to the plot, it made me find a couple of holes in my manuscript that need filling in, and I now have to rewrite the whole thing before I even think about submitting... Argh!
-
Off to give my little Atticus another makeover,
L.
Monday, January 24, 2011
What They Say Is Greek To Me.
... More like Japanese, or Hindi. You catch my drift.
So far, I've spent the morning looking at submission-guidelines for literary magazines and journals (start small, I say!)- after all, these agents are going to want publishing credits before they accept anything I've written. Needless to say, I now feel like a dyslexic person trying to crack a binary code- completely and utterly confused.
(Or, as M. might say, "lost in frustration". Yep.)
-
The rejection-letter I received on Friday is now hanging on my wall- I've heard they make great scrap-paper. :)
So far, I've spent the morning looking at submission-guidelines for literary magazines and journals (start small, I say!)- after all, these agents are going to want publishing credits before they accept anything I've written. Needless to say, I now feel like a dyslexic person trying to crack a binary code- completely and utterly confused.
(Or, as M. might say, "lost in frustration". Yep.)
-
The rejection-letter I received on Friday is now hanging on my wall- I've heard they make great scrap-paper. :)
Friday, January 21, 2011
Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now...
...But, despite what the title of Andre Jordan's biography (and this post) suggests, I am not miserable at all. That's just the name of the book that I picked up at Chapters today, and it is rip-roaringly funny- this guy is a genius, and I love his funny little drawings.
Got my first formal rejection today- it reads:
"Thank you for allowing us to consider your work. Regretfully, this is just not right for us, and we wish you all the best in your literary endeavours (sorry, endeavors- the agency in question is American)."
Short. Sweet. Generic.
Chalk one up for the Wall of Rejection.
Still, rather than letting my inner M. (read: emo prodigy and super-sensitive literary genius) loose on the world, I'll let K's awesomeness take over- she would never let something so simple as this get her down, and that's why all of my future readers (except the emo-y ones) will like her better.
In all, can't really complain- as far as rejections go, suspense writer Jack King says that the average writer sees at least 12 of them, before getting accepted. So, not to despair just yet- rejection, at least, is a form of acknowledgment; someone must be paying attention. :)
-
Acceptances: 0
Rejections: 1
Manuscript Requests: 0
Got my first formal rejection today- it reads:
"Thank you for allowing us to consider your work. Regretfully, this is just not right for us, and we wish you all the best in your literary endeavours (sorry, endeavors- the agency in question is American)."
Short. Sweet. Generic.
Chalk one up for the Wall of Rejection.
Still, rather than letting my inner M. (read: emo prodigy and super-sensitive literary genius) loose on the world, I'll let K's awesomeness take over- she would never let something so simple as this get her down, and that's why all of my future readers (except the emo-y ones) will like her better.
In all, can't really complain- as far as rejections go, suspense writer Jack King says that the average writer sees at least 12 of them, before getting accepted. So, not to despair just yet- rejection, at least, is a form of acknowledgment; someone must be paying attention. :)
-
Acceptances: 0
Rejections: 1
Manuscript Requests: 0
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Sordid Tales of Aspiring Writerdom: The Redux.
This entire week has been a total waste of life.
Being sick has done nothing to help further my career. I've been meaning to do productive things, like join up with the WFNB (Writers' Federation of New Brunswick); instead, I've spent it curled up on the couch, either sleeping or drinking lots of tea whilst crying into my cough-suppressant- not a pretty picture, but I'm sure that every aspiring writer has done it.
Last night, I started rewriting my final draft. I just feel that there's so much of the story that hasn't been told; so many important details left out, due to the perspective/narrative style I'd chosen to use; and that some of my characters have so much more to offer than what I've given them time to say. Don't ask- they tell me what to do, rather than the other way around.
I haven't been checking my emails all that much, either- I think that a part of me has preemptively admitted defeat. That's the M. in me talking, though- my inner K. is kicking me in the ribs right now, pushing my buttons and telling me to quit being a whiny bitch; sorry, K.
-
Now, back to sobbing into my Nyquil.
Being sick has done nothing to help further my career. I've been meaning to do productive things, like join up with the WFNB (Writers' Federation of New Brunswick); instead, I've spent it curled up on the couch, either sleeping or drinking lots of tea whilst crying into my cough-suppressant- not a pretty picture, but I'm sure that every aspiring writer has done it.
Last night, I started rewriting my final draft. I just feel that there's so much of the story that hasn't been told; so many important details left out, due to the perspective/narrative style I'd chosen to use; and that some of my characters have so much more to offer than what I've given them time to say. Don't ask- they tell me what to do, rather than the other way around.
I haven't been checking my emails all that much, either- I think that a part of me has preemptively admitted defeat. That's the M. in me talking, though- my inner K. is kicking me in the ribs right now, pushing my buttons and telling me to quit being a whiny bitch; sorry, K.
-
Now, back to sobbing into my Nyquil.
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