Wednesday, October 1, 2014

#IWSG Post October: Anxiety is Conquered When a New Tale Comes for its Birth

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? :-)

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.  

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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.

I’ll see you next post! Sending you virtual *Hugs*! Have a wonderful month!

16 comments:

Diane Burton said...

No matter what others say about not fretting, we all do. Getting into the next project is key to moving on. Best wishes, Sittie.

J.Q. Rose said...

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.

Pat Hatt said...

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.

Sue Starlight said...

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!

Crystal Collier said...

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!

Suzanne Furness said...

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.

Kristin Smith said...

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! :)

SittieCates said...

@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!

Anonymous said...

Those positive shifts feel so good after moments of anxiety.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

I think that's known as 'Oh look, squirrel!'

Chrys Fey said...

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!

Empty Nest Insider said...

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

Stephanie Faris said...

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!"

Michelle Wallace said...

Popping in to say hello!
Happy Writing, Sittie!

TBM said...

I think worrying and writing go hand in hand.

cleemckenzie said...

Fretting comes with the job. Guess we'll just have to accept that and move on.

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