On Today's Menu -- custard pie with whipped cream, real Quaker Oats, chocolate chip cookies, BLT's, home-made chicken soup -- comfort food for sure.
Good morning my darlings. Sorry I haven't been around all week. I received my answer from the full request Tuesday night. Rejection. Form rejection.
I needed to cry for a few days and wallow in some really crazy indulgent self-pity. And I did. It wasn't pretty. (A stranger in the supermarket even stopped me and asked if I was all right.) But Terry held my hand and talked me down. (Thanks Ter-Ber) Helped me to get a grip. And I did. But I'm still a little shaky.
See, it was my very first ever, full request. Off a query mind you. So I was little overwhelmed because that's almost never done. And, she's one of the top ten literary agents, so I was a little scared. However, I guess now, all I know how to do is write a really great query. (The agent even said so. It's what she said after that threw me into the pit of despair.)
Nevertheless, I remain, a writer. Nothing to be done about it.
Not to be maudlin, as it is the weekend, so I'll leave you with this.
Monster Baby got a game for her birthday. Instead of numbered dice, they have pictures of the characters on the dice.
I set up the game, we played a non-count round to get the feel for it. The cowboy is a free character so for every one you get, he counts toward whichever characters you need.
I almost died laughing when, on the first roll,
Monster Baby yelled,
(wait for it)
"I got a cowboy!"
Have a great weekend everyone!
23 comments:
Now that's something you don't hear people say often.
You got the query down pat - now to get it to the right agent or publisher. Next!!
I'm sorry for the rejection, but (and you know this) it comes with the territory. You have to find the right fit. Its kind of like women and their shoes...they'll try on a dozen pairs...different styles but all size six...until they find the one that fits just right. Your shoe is still out there for you. :)
Rejections of any sort in writing are painful. I'm sorry this one didn't work out for you. But at least you know you have a great query. That's really important, as you know.
Alex -- Actually, I heard that last year too when I queried MASQUERADE. Maybe I should go into a new line of business. I'll just write queries and not books. lol
Don -- I know this. I get it. I guess my size nine feet are a bit harder to find shoes for. No?
Stina -- Having a great query is one thing. It's when she said the writing wasn't all that is what hurt.
Keep your head up and don't let it hold you back. If you keep trying, you will -- as DL said -- find the right fit.
Every single writer, including the very best of us, goes through rejection. It hurts, no doubt, but we ultimately grow stronger as a result. Just keep at it and good things will come!! :)
(The "I got a Woody" comment is priceless!)
Aw, sorry about your rejection. Hang in there. Keep at it, and eventually you WILL find the perfect match.
Also, your menu sounds scrumptious. :)
j.m. -- Thanks for the support. Means a lot. And hearing "I got a Woody" coming from a 6yr.old girl was priceless.
Linda -- I've been drowning myself in custard pie. Oh, the jeans are too tight now.
A form R stinks. I'm sorry. But you ARE getting closer.
Too funny about about the Yahtee game!
I'm sorry that you got a rejection. Keep trying. Keep trying and never give up. You'll meet success some day and shake his hand.
Great story at the end. I had to share it with my husband.
CD
Ha, your story reminds me of a frind's from a few weeks ago. She and son were shopping and a cart went by. Kid in other cart had a Woody doll. Her son starts *yelling* - "Mom that kids has a huge Woody. Look at his Woody. How did he get a Woody so big." I would have died.
Anne, I'm sorry about the rejection. Truly. I am about to go into that scary query territoy myself soon and I know I will have plenty of these days. I hope you have a super weekend (hey it's supposed to warm up a little!).
{{{hugs}}}
but here's the thing. Just because she said the writing isn't all that, doesn't mean it has to stay that way forever. If you believe she told you the truth (and wasn't mistaken) then the only solution is to dive right back into that manuscript and edit the sh*t out of it until it sparkles as brightly as the query.
How many drafts of this novel did you write before you queried it? Because even if it's ten, you can always add ten more until you get it right.
You can do it!
LOL! File this one under, "Kids Say The Darndest Things!"
Anne, always remember that every no is just a step closer to a yes. It hurts, but it's part of the journey we all take. One yes wipes away a hundred noes. It'll happen.
When it does, the delight will be all the sweeter because of the pain.
So sorry, Anne, about the rejection. But now you know you have a marketable concept and a winning query. And that means you are loads closer to a "yes."
Form rejection on a full is soooo annoying. But on the other hand, remember it's a form, so whatever it says has nothing to do with your work--just that they passed.
I've been getting form rejections on almost all my queries and partials (the full is still out)and it's so infuriating, because I have no idea what I'm doing wrong. It's not like I don't know how to write a query letter. I've been doing it for 20 years. I've always had more interest than this on all my books, even the ones that never made it into print.
I think this has to have more to do with the market than our work. I saw a "queries that work" post on an agent blog this week and the query was way long and not terribly exciting to me, but...it was YA dystopian post-apocalyptic zombie steampunk. Yeah. It's all about trends, dammit, no matter what they tell us.
So do we all either write YADPA zombie steampunk or self-publish? I wish I knew the answer to that.
Pah ha ha ha! re: Monster Baby's comment. Love her.
I'm so sorry about your rejection, Anne. I think it's good you gave yourself some time to get over it. Please don't dwell on it for too long. You are, as you said, still a writer - and a fabulous one at that. Maybe next time.
<3
Anne: No thanks necessary. You've always been there for me when I've melted down. It's what friends are for.
So. When I email you about MY latest meltdown, you can hold my hand (again). ;)
Keep at it. We'll get there. I promise.
Anne,
Don't worry about it. Bake some chocolate chip cookies & keep sending query letters to agents. Also, start querying publishers, too.
Anne, I am so sorry. It sucks, there's no way around that. Plain and simple suckage.
You had every right to cry about this. You're such a strong person, and crying over this doesn't change that one bit. You know that I don't consider myself built for querying- and you've shown an amazing attitude and determination that I greatly admire. I really mean that.
One more thing- please remember, you're a damn good writer. I don't go around saying that to just anybody. I've loved what you've posted from your work. I was drawn into the story. Remember when you posted the scene with the shock to do with Uncle Sal? My heart was pounding. I kept scrolling down. I wanted to know what happened.
You're gifted. You are, you are, you are (three times for emphasis as my Grandfather used to say) and you have two short stories published (or one soon to be) that's two more than I have! That's more than most of us will ever have- please hang on to that at the low times.
If you need to vent, you know where to find me. That's not an offer I make to a lot of folks, either.
I'll be thinking of you.
Don't you just love kids? Mine can still make me laugh at the most unbelievable moments, and she still says the darndest things.
big hugs,
~bru
I'm so sorry to hear about the rejection - I can imagine how hard that must have been. BUT - I love your attitude! You've got the query down. Now it's just a matter of finding the right agent! =)
Hang in there!
I love the MB quote!
On the bright side, if you've got such a fantastic query, it will surely create interest wherever you send it. That being the case, it will open the door to the right publisher. I'm certain of it.
You're my hero; hang in there. {{{{hugs}}}}
Keep writing!! Get some crit partners! Mine have helped me immensely in the learning process. The more people you have reading, the more input you'll get. Revise and edit! Write write write! We are writers after all! :D Big hugs!
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