There’s Still Work to Be Done

I wrote, I edited, edited some more, and more, and more. I polished. I agonized. Finally, I had something I thought was good enough to send away. I wrote a nice letter to an editor at my first choice publisher and I sent my manuscript on its way.

It was frightening and exhilarating.

Now what?

From all my reading and learning over the past couple of years, I know publishing is a hard business, so while I want to be naively hopeful, I am realistically hopeful instead. Naively hopeful is sitting in a field of daisies waiting for a phone call. Realistically hopeful is continuing to work your arse off, praying for the best, but making contingency plans.

I have submissions packets ready to be pasted into and attached to emails, in the proper requested formats, for my next two choices. I know if I get a rejection letter from my first choice, I will want to mope for a few days. With letters and files ready to be sent out, even if I am sad, I will have no excuse not to keep the ball rolling.

I am also finishing up the plot outline and character sheets for my next manuscript. I should start writing next week. While I will be in the same world, it will be refreshing to start with a new set of problems for new characters to conquer.

The important thing is that I am not idle. I am serious about wanting to write so I keep learning, reading, and, above all, I keep writing.

–Jane, traversing life with words