Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Wading In

I've started the submission process for my novel. Already I'm steeling myself for the rejections. But it's part of the biz and I'm ok with that.

What is different this time around is this: I've recently lost a lot in my life. My marriage, my now ex-husband (who was also my best friend), my status as a wife, my being part of a whole family - it's gone. And while I feel like I'm coping with that just fine (there are good and bad days), I have always had my writing to help me through it. It's been a big, solid rock for me on the days I want to just forget about the emotional turmoil in my mind and lose myself in my characters' story.

Now I'm letting that part of me out into the world. And with the recent losses I've experienced, I don't know if I'm ready to handle another loss - of those in the industry rejecting my work.

It's a strange dimension to inhabit. On one hand, I am excited about sending the manuscript off to prospective agents. On the other, I want to cling to it for dear life. Why? Because if the "rock" of my writing is shattered by rejection, how will I handle it with all the other losses I've endured?

But I already have an answer to this question. I will handle it with prayer, with support from others, and with acceptance. There is no other way. Despite any personal difficulties in my life, the publishing business isn't for the faint of heart, and I can't expect to be treated with kid gloves simply because I've gone through a hard time. We've all experienced the dark clouds of life. And it only makes us stronger.

So I'm not going to keep my novel on my hard drive where it's "safe" - instead, I'm sending it out into the world. I'll deal with whatever answers come my way. In the meantime, new ideas are percolating. New characters are beginning to form. And I can once again lose myself in their world.

13 comments:

  1. Kudos to you for having the courage to send your work into the world!

    The best advice I ever got was to be working on something new while the finished work is making the rounds. It helps keep things in perspective that you are a writer, that you're in this for the long haul. Plus, rejections don't sting quite so badly when you're deep in the exciting, giddy, early stages of a new baby novel...and when the acceptance comes, it's great to be able to say, Yes, I'm already working on my next book.

    Best of luck, we're pulling for you!

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  2. I'm so glad you are taking the step to do it. I'm right there behind you with my own string of losses waiting to send mine out too soon. But if we don't, we might not experience a real gain, right? Yours might be the one they fall in love with immediately! I'm praying for you:)

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  3. Congrats on sending your baby off! This is a hard time in the writing journey. It's hard to wait; in one moment we have dreams of doom and the next are planning how we'll write the blog post that announces the sell! We experience such a dichotomy of emotion while we wait. The antidote is to just plunge head first into the next project and draw solace from the fact that the next one WILL be better!!

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  4. Good luck to you. Whoot! New Project.

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  5. Get going on the new one, and the old one will fade into the distance, truly!

    You'll be so absorbed in the new writing - which will have no association with your recent painful experiences (unless you want it to) - that it will seem like a new life starting.

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  6. Good luck to you - keep us posted on your progress! And don't think of all you lost, think of what you've gained. A new sense of self, a bright future, a finished novel. And you are part of a whole family, it's just a bit smaller. Families are whole in many many ways.

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  7. Good for you. Send it out and get lost in your new set of characters. We're lucky, as writers, to have a parallel life as well as the 'every day' one.

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  8. Wow, already?! You made quick work of that. Good luck with the queries.

    And if it does turn into another loss, we'll be right here for you.

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  9. Something's to be gained from all experiences, in a way that makes us much stronger. Your past gives you strength for today. Best, best wishes on your queries, I'm sure that since you put such heart into this work, the right agent will see that and love it. Good luck!

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  10. Yay! Plunge into that new WIP. You're doing great in every way. :)

    Come enter my contest if you wanna.

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  11. Yes, get started on the next one. Do you do multiple submissions over there? We do over here, so long as we put it in the cover letter. Hopefully by the time it starts to come back - IF it starts to come back - you should be engrossed in the next one. And always have a list of maybes for when it does come back - IF it does. Good luck. :o)

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  12. You go girl! you're awesome! And an inspiration to us all! I think it's awesome you're sending your baby out and already have new ideas too! Eeeh! I love writing! Jenni

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  13. Elizabeth Parker10:31 AM

    Yes, kudos for having the courage to send your manuscript out into the world. You're in the game, and that's what counts.

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