Today I feel as if I am actually making headway on becoming an author. In a weird way. I got my first rejection from an agent and although I should probably be disappointed, I'm not. I am actually pretty excited to get it. It was my first query and I know that it stunk and they probably rolled their eyes and said, "God, save us from such enthusiastic amatuers." But I thought the rejection was very polite and it made me feel goood that I had actually tried.
Also today, I mailed out my first contest submission. I should have tried entering contests before submitting, I believe, but I never really knew they were out there. No one's fault but my own as everything is on the internet and you just need to find it. I really need to thank my critique group for this one. They read, and reread, and reread again for me as I switched this and changed that. What a great bunch of Ladies to have in my corner!
While both of those things probably aren't big steps, to me they are. I am showing myself that I am dedicated to this and striving for it. So, I look forward to the next rejection letter. And the next. After that, I might start to get discouraged. Have any of you made any small steps lately that felt like giant leaps forward?
3 comments:
Every time I let someone look at my work it feels like a huge step.
I spent years and years keeping it to myself. Although how I ever thought I could publish without sharing is beyond me. :)
I'm supposed to put together a query letter and submit it to my on-line class. I feel like a first grader learning to write all over again. And knowing 50 plus strangers are going to read it is freaking me out, even though they have all been nothing but nice.
Wooohooo on joining the ranks of the rejected! You are among the very best out there ;)
Congratulations on taking those steps!
My first query letter stunk, too. I got a very terse rejection on my very first attempt. So I rewrote it. Then I rewrote it again. And again. I annoyed my CPs to death with endless variations until I had something I was happy with.
And it's worked! The three responses I've gotten to that query so far have all been requests. One of them has become a manuscript rejection, but hey - it was a personalized rejection with pos/neg, so I can't complain.
I also entered a few contests. And I completely tanked in the first one I entered. Horrible, wretched, abysmal scores. But if my partials get rejected by the agents who have them now - at least I have some direction for revising before I start querying again.
It's a rollercoaster, isn't it?
It is such a rollercoaster, it gives me the flutters just thinking of everything. I realize my first finished book will probably not sale, but I am looking at it as a learning tool, submit it and get feed back. The general tone of the rejection was it not fitting with them. I expect alot of those with westerns for some reason. Live and learn. And revise.
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