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Thursday, March 31, 2011

A Different Kind of Waiting

Before I was agented, I would often read blog posts by agented authors who declared that the waiting was the same--if not worse--once you passed the gilded entrance of Agentedness and went on submission.  "It's just as bad!"  "Horrible!" "Don't think the waiting game is over once you get here, honey!"

Okay, I'm paraphrasing.  But it was enough to teach me that I needed to brace myself once my Golden Day arrived.  (Which, at the time, seemed like it never would.  You know how that goes.)

Let's face it: If you're the tiniest bit observant, the one thing you learn about the publishing industry is that's it's slow.  Slow, as in, have we all entered a deep meditative state, and are we still breathing?  Slow, as in, will the children for whom I've written this novel be grandparents by the time it's on the shelves?

Slow.

So the ability to wait with grace serves us well, from the critique partner stage (never bug a writing friend to finish a crit) to the query stage (never bug an agent who hasn't responded to your original query) to the submission stage (never bug your agent when there isn't any news from the land of editors).  And it doesn't stop there.  The actual deal-to-finished-book process is extremely long.  And while editors may demand slightly less than reasonable deadlines, they may not always produce the line-edits or editorial letters or copyediting in a timely manner.  So authors must wait.

With grace.

So.  You all know that my novel is on submission, and it's not something I talk about because I don't think it's appropriate.  Professionally, I mean.  If you lived next door and we were having coffee together, you'd get an earful.

But yanno, you've walked this journey with me from the onset of your arrival to the blog, and I like that you're part of it.  So I want to say something enlightening or encouraging or mildly amusing.  Something to keep you in the loop.

And here is it:  The on-submission waiting isn't "the same as" or "worse than" the query-process waiting.  It is, from my perspective, a different kind of waiting, and one that is, ultimately, easier to bear.

Think about it.  An agent is your advocate.  You've done the work on the book, and the rest is up to your agent.  You're responsible to keep writing, keep growing as an author.  And to be ready for whatever happens next.

There's a restfulness inherent in this set-up that I think some authors miss.  It's admittedly easy to become angsty during the submission process.  I mean--it's scary!  You feel naked!  You're terrified that nobody else will love your novel. Or you.  Or anything remotely related to you.

But if you're wise, you eventually take a deep breath and get over all that.  Then you pour yourself a cup of green tea with honey, and you write.

And here's the "different" part: You write without having to do anything else.  No agent research.  No queries.  None of the stuff that used to take up so much of your time.

Folks!  This is so freeing!  And to use this time for angsting would be incredibly counterproductive.

I have no right to talk about "long waits" at this point, anyway.  For Josh and me, it's early in the game.  Remember: slow, slow, slow!  So while I've admittedly stalked an editor or two on my blog and briefly obsessed about this or that, I came fairly quickly to the leave-it-in-Josh's-hands-and-keep-writing mindset.

And I'm here to tell you: Being on submission does not have to be a horrible, nail-bite inducing process.  DON'T LET THEM MAKE YOU BELIEVE OTHERWISE!

That's my public service announcement for the day.

Oh, and I'm almost finished with my WIP.  "Excited" doesn't begin to express my feelings about it.  And the fact that I can FEEL EXCITED ABOUT A WIP while on submission with a different novel makes me feel like I've "arrived" somehow.

I haven't "arrived", of course.  But I'm in a good place.  I love my agent, I love my dystopian-on-submission, I love my WIP, I love my husband, I love the writing community.

It's all good!

27 comments:

  1. Thanks for this post...so hopeful. A rainbow of a read this morning!

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  2. LOVE this post. And it's exactly what I needed to read this morning.

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  3. I concur--it's hard to put it in words and that's pretty much it. Good Stuff, you!

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  4. Great post! I always love reading different first-hand perspectives on the various parts of the publishing journey. Storing this info for later, when I "arrive" at this point :)

    And congrats on being almost done with your WIP!

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  5. New to the Out-On-Subs waiting, but I agree, it's definitely different. The pressure is off me and on Adriann, which is a relief. I promised myself a writing break before I landed her, and that break is ongoing - with little fits of research and outlining / scene jotting. Instead, I'm indulging and doing the next best thing to writing - reading. God bless you my nightstand, you support double your weight.

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  6. So glad you're so happy about everything. And even though I don't have any experience yet of being where you are, I do imagine I'd feel exactly the same about this new kind of waiting as you do. Well said.

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  7. I'm with you there. The waiting is a much less frenzied type of waiting. I don't bite my nails and work myself up to a state of perpetual agitation and sweaty palms every time an agent has a contest, or you have a Secret Agent Submission.

    It's waiting, yes, but at that time, I've proven to myself that my work is good. My agent thinks it's good, so that's something. I try not to worry about things I have no control over, and once my agent has a copy of my ms that she thinks is right, and sends it out, there's nothing I can do but wait.

    To make the waiting easier to bear, the best thing to do is write.

    Thanks for this post, Authoress. It's a good reminder for a lot of us in the same boat, I'm sure!

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  8. Thanks for the realistic viewpoint. I'll be on submission soon, so I greatly appreciate this post. The fact is, we writers are actively pursuing our dreams, and that's right up there with loving those in our lives and being kind to strangers. We're blessed with the possibility of possibility. Why not enjoy the ride?

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  9. I think no matter where you are, it's a good thing when you can feel like you're in a good place. Kudos to you for arriving there!

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  10. Thanks for sharing Authoress. You made me smile with your "WIP love" tweets, and now this :-)

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  11. Your post is beautiful. Thank you for speaking so honestly. Wish I could have a cup of tea with you! I'd love to hear what you have to say.

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  12. Sounds like Black Friday when you've made it through the door early enough to get some good stuff :) I definitely think the worst part of waiting is the worry that readers won't love the book.

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  13. What a fantastic post. It's so easy to work yourself into a frenzy over nothing. And really, focusing on the writing should be top priority. Thanks for the reminder!

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  14. This is why I keep coming back to read your posts, Authoress. You are one of the more positive (and fun) writers I've found in the blogosphere, and your attitude is refreshing and inspiring. So happy for you and your happy frame of mind. Best wishes~

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  15. You are so right. I'm in that same spot.

    Frustrating, but exhiliarating, too.

    Hoping -- for you and me both.

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  16. I think you have arrived. At this point you're just waiting to be announced.

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  17. I can so relate to slow! I'm feeling the love. :-)

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  18. From the agent's perspective...it's AGONY! When we actually have good news, we can talk more candidly about it, but I'll tell you true--waiting sucks. But as the marvelous Ms. A is so understanding, it makes it easier.

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  19. See? He's a keeper, this one. ;D

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  20. Wonderful Perspective, though I wish you were my agent so I could get the earful over wine and what was it? Oh, chocolate and cashews I think ; )

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  21. I'm glad you wrote this post, because it's something I've felt for the past couple of years since landing my agent. I'm always surprised when I hear writers say that waiting's harder once you're on agented subs. For me, it's felt so much better having an advocate on my side and freeing myself from all the querying. That said, once you do get an editor interested, it can be agonizing waiting while your sub's taken through editorial mtgs, acquisitions, etc...

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  22. I meant I wish you were my NEIGHBOR. If you were my agent, we'd be the blind leading the blind. ha ha ha. And yes, your agent is a keeper.

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