A request for feedback – before the dream became reality
I have to admit to some butterflies in my tummy that seem to be getting more and more active as I count down to SiWC. It’s my personal deadline.
I started writing Red and Grey over 18 months ago and I have been working hard on it ever since. It has been written, rewritten, revised, edited and is being revised again. At SiWC I’ll pitch it. Because the truth is by then I will probably have hit the point of diminishing returns. The point where I am just second guessing myself and failing to see what I should see in favor of seeing what I think I should see. At that point I will probably need an editor, something I cannot afford to pay for myself.
Have I had other people look at it- you bet – the first ten chapters have been through my critique group a half dozen times. I used what I learned there and applied it to the rest of the manuscript. I have two years of classes and conferences under my belt – I listened and took notes. Learning as much as I could and applying it as best I could. In addition four trusted readers have been sent the entire manuscript to read and pick apart – one has already gotten back to me with his feedback and the other three are working on it.
So, I’m pretty sure I’m doing everything “the right way”
(If I missed something obvious please tell me so I can do it quick )
In the end it’s going to come down to two things, fifteen minutes sitting across the table from an agent or editor and convincing them with my incredible pitch that my writing is worth their time to read -because of course once they read it they will ADORE Red and Grey J, and writing a Query letter that basically makes them fall in love with Red and Grey before they even lay eyes on it and makes them want to read it – because – well see above.
Hence the butterflies.
I know, brilliant writers are not suppose to have any trouble writing queries – I know this – I’ve read the blogs of thousands of agents who have said it a hundred different times in a hundred different ways. They give the format, tell the writer what to do and what not to do, a fairly simple looking list of rules.
Don’t call them the wrong name and gender. Duh! Don’t call your story the wrong genre, yeah I get that – little research might be needed but you can get that. Keep your hook short and sweet but completely and totally enthralling. Sure no problem. Make sure you tell about your characters and give a complete sense of who they are. Well, uhm see it kind of took them an entire 100,000 word book to figure out who they were how do I get that into the one page letter that also needs a short sweet enthralling hook?
Sorry – I just got totally side tracked – that’s what nerves do to me.
I do apologize
Anyway here is what I want to know.
For all the authors I know. What was it like for you before? Not the process. I met many of you at conferences and I heard you tell stories of how your first book found a home. So while I deeply appreciate that information I guess I was hoping to pick your brain a little deeper.
What was it like for you in the process of writing and editing and doing the actual work of that first book? Who helped you? Did you get butterflies when you checked the mail box after you sent query letters? Did your palms sweat when you stood outside the doors of pitch sessions at conferences?
Please tell me, is it like this for everyone, or are these nerves the universes way of telling me that this is not meant to be and giving me a chance to back out gracefully?