(Happy Labor Day, Rosemary Ahern.)I have been very busy during these many weeks leading up to Labor Day; I've been laboring and laboring. When I look back over my journey of rejections these past months, here's what I see:
1) "I loved the novel....[it's] beautifully written and well-drawn"
2) "I...found myself needing to read to the end to see what happened"
3) "I've been wrong so many times on what sells--countless. And I'd bet you can count on my being wrong with [your novel]."
4) "We found your novel to be uncommonly well-written and, for the most part, an interesting read."
I heard someone talking the other day about the concept of God's Time. Not to get all woo-woo on you, or anything, especially since I don't even know about the existence God, though I hate to rule anything out. But anyway I thought it was a nice reminder that I'm not in control of the schedule, and maybe it's going to happen, but in some other time frame, as opposed to my time frame....which is always RIGHT NOW, right now, right now, right now, right now. (Very annoying, even to me.) I guess the early detractors of LROD were right....I am just a whiny baby.
6 comments:
Hmm, if all these agents are really wrong so often about what's going to sell, maybe they should:
a) Find another line of work; or
b) Buy things that they think won't sell
That bebe is still cute, even with the photoshop distortions and drool.
Yes! Those clueless agents should totally Do The Opposite, as George Constanza did in a Seinfeld episode when the show was at its best.
Imagine the possibilities?!
Call it God's Time or call it Publishing Time...you have to give up your fantasy timetable when it comes to selling a book. I started writing my first novel when I was 21; four novels later and I'm now 42. Even though I have one of the best agents in NY and a manuscript I think is fantastic, I'm still waiting to cross the great divide between writer-without-a-book and writer-with-a-book. I just keep telling myself that I have to keep the faith with my own vocation and that eventually I'll break through. So keep the faith and keep writing.
When I read the last paragraph of your post I realized i'd had the same thoughts about God's time...about winning the lottery. The analogy is too close.
If it's this hard...hmmmm.Maybe it's time to look into animal husbandry after all.
I probably have a better chance at winning the lottery, yes?
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