Happy anniversary to the IWSG website! Yay! Where’s the
party? I’ll bring coffee and chocolates. He he he. Coffee. Hmm… I think I need
one right now. Care to join me? :-)
Photo Credit: Michael Allen Smith on Flickr
Anyway, here’s my IWSG post for this month (my contribution
for the IWSG anthology has been emailed):
Have you ever felt anxious—wondering about what the status
of your manuscript is? Have you thought about the possible initial reaction of
the editor at that publishing house you’ve submitted to or—if you’re
self-published—the reaction of a reader reading your indie book for the first
time? Hmm. Me, too.
I know that a lot of writers say that once a manuscript is
submitted or a self-published book is uploaded… That’s it. It’s time to focus
on other things. Still, I get anxious. Like right now. And, I guess, like most
writers experiencing this, I allow myself to sink into its harrowing depths,
knowing—at the back of my head—that by doing this, it’s merely going to make me
feel worse.
But then, after a minute or two (or an hour or more, if you may), thankfully, the call of another story beckons, waiting to come alive on the pages of my Microsoft Word document, aching to whisper its wonderful secrets to me.
Whenever this positive shift happens, its welcome change
never fails to fascinate me. I mean, it’s really interesting to observe the
inner workings of our minds: How we become deeply mired in our anxieties and
fears, then, the next moment, we find something that’ll curve the corners of
our lips into a large, happy grin.
Faced with this beautiful change, the only thing that’s best
to do is to answer the call of the tale and get the mind engaged, and see to it
that the new tale is given its rightful birth.
---------------
Now, for some UPDATES.
For My Indie Books
* Recently revised my first book for children, “Sleepyhead?
Not!” (This is a self-published book for ages 3 to 5 available on Amazon,
Barnes and Noble, etc..)
Here are some videos I created for it:
* Would also revise my other self-published books soon.
For Manuscript Submissions
* One of my novels (the one that reached a really, really
long word count last post—around 80K—but WC is actually more now since it’s
been divided into two books) has been submitted to a publishing firm. Still
waiting if it’s going to be accepted or rejected.
* My first novel I’ve written, which had a book trailer
before, is undergoing revision since I’m thinking of making it into a trilogy
before I submit it. Initially, I was going to self-publish this, but thought of
trying to submit it (once I’m done revising it) to publishers. Currently, I’m
plotting the next two books for this one. No actual writing done yet.
* The other novel that had reached 28 thousand words (that I
mentioned at another blog post was “on ice”) is still “on ice”. He he he.
* For the children’s stories—picture books—I’ve submitted, I
received a reply for one of my manuscripts. However, the email of the editor
merely stated a timeframe so I guess I’ll wait some more. So far, I’ve got a
handful of short stories submitted to different book publishers. Planning to
add more.
Oh, one more thing: Since this Musings blog is on a monthly schedule for now (to make ample time
to write and revise my manuscripts), you may want to check out my other blog, SLS (SittieCates Loves Stories) when you have time. Thanks!
Next Blog Post: First Wednesday of next
month for IWSG.
16 comments:
No matter what others say about not fretting, we all do. Getting into the next project is key to moving on. Best wishes, Sittie.
I think we all have to "wallow" a bit in our fears, have some coffee and chocloate, and move on! Loved your videos. I wish I could sit in a chair and have you read to me. Love your voice and expression. Best wishes.
Bah, the cat just goes crazy and moves on to the next thing. Can't please everyone no matter who you are, so why try.
And even if our worst fears are realized, we can always re-work our manuscript and send it to other publishers. Whether or not our work "fits" with a particular publisher is often just a matter of timing or finding the ones that appreciate our style. I'm glad you're keeping at it, Cates!
You know, my anxiety is conquered when I fall asleep! ;)
If I hadn't moved on from book 1 and just agonized over it, I would still be at square one. I've learned so much from working on other works that I never could have by dwelling. Here's to shifting focus!
Oh yeah I hear you! Anxious goes with being a writer I think. Whenever we open ourselves up for scrutiny the nerves are bound to surface. I read somewhere that it is the same for established, well known authors too, so I tell myself if it's good enough for them ...
Great to meet you today as co-host of IWSG. I am following you now so will stop by again.
It's amazing how that next story begs to be written, isn't it? Thank goodness for that, or else we'd drive ourselves crazy worrying over the one we're trying to get published!
Great post! It's so nice to meet you through the IWSG—thanks so much for stopping by my blog earlier today. I'm your newest follower! :)
@Diane: Ah, yes. We still feel that way. Thanks, Diane!
@JQ Rose: Thank you for the compliment! Sure! Why not? However, you're too far-away. Anyway, I'm hoping to have an audio book and will let you know if it pushes through. :-)
@Pat Hatt: Yup. We can't please everyone. :-) Thanks for the visit, Pat!
@Sue Starlight: That's right. Revising and polishing wouldn't hurt; it would only make our manuscripts a better read.
Missed your visits. You're shining as bright as ever, Sue! :-) Heard you've got yourself an agent. Congrats! Happy for you!
@Crystal Collier: Good for you, Crystal. Yup, shifting focus... Cheers to that!
Congratulations on that next book and its upcoming release!
@Suzanne Furness: Yup! The feeling of anxiety comes up now and then.
It's a pleasure to meet you, too, Suzanne. Thanks for dropping by and for following me! Followed you, too. :-)
@Kristin Smith: Hello, Kristin! Yup, thank goodness there's a new tale waiting to be written. :-)
It's wonderful to meet you, too. You're welcome. And thanks for the visit!
Those positive shifts feel so good after moments of anxiety.
I think that's known as 'Oh look, squirrel!'
I know exactly how you feel! But I dive headfirst into anything I can to get my mind off it. Like now I am worried about the lack of reviews coming in for 30 Seconds while at the same time dreading them when they do come in. lol It's important to let it all go and move on to the next step or next project. Good luck with all of your books!
It's hard not to feel anxious, but it should give you peace of mind to know that you've done your best work.
Julie
The anxiety never goes away! I think people say focus on the next project because, really, that's all we can control. Once we turn it over to the agent/editor, it's completely out of our control. But I've found focusing on the next project makes it easier if they do reject it. Then you can say, "I'll just send them this next GREAT project I'm working on!"
Popping in to say hello!
Happy Writing, Sittie!
I think worrying and writing go hand in hand.
Fretting comes with the job. Guess we'll just have to accept that and move on.
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