I got a lovely (I do mean it) handwritten rejection letter from Diana Finch, passing on the book; she did have some good things to say about it and even some suggestions--I realize agents are busy folks and I really appreciated that she took the time to handwrite a letter to me. I don't usually keep rejections, but I tucked that one away in my files.
So far, the numbers have been shaping up thusly in my querying:
Sandra Dijkstra Agency: personal email correspondence, wants to see revised manuscript, wants to see other manuscripts I have (I have none to give, though).
Diana Finch: handwritten correspondence (non-form rejection).
Brandt & Hochman: personal letter (non-form rejection)
Ellen Levine: emailed her rejection (can't tell if it was a form rejection)
Suzanne Gluck: form rejection
No response yet on query from Molly Friedrich at Aaron Priest (weirdly, it's only been about two months since I sent out this batch--it feels like 10 months)!
I do see that the majority of the time, these queries and sample chapters are getting read, and thus making it out of the slush pile--for that I feel very lucky; at least a few times, I have had personal correspondence by the principal agent--and I have only queried six agents so far. My next batch of multiple queries is going to be a bit larger; I think I will just increase the queries a bit with every batch. When I look at what I've done since I started sending these out at the end of summer, I realize I've barely started and I feel I can put a better effort in.
The good part (I think the best part) is that the "business" part of my mind is starting to kick in and I am getting a bit indifferent to the rejections--a sort of "eh, wasn't meant to be" feeling. I really believe that these things all come together at the right time, as long as I am willing to show up and put the effort in to research the agents and get the queries out..and keep writing.
I am starting The Artist's Way again (I probably mentioned that earlier). It's been helping a lot--all my self-doubt and self-criticism just pours out onto those three daily pages (I cheated a little and bought a slightly smaller notebook, but those three pages are an effort). I don't even know where the self-criticism comes from--but I do know it's definitely coming out of my psyche! Hopefully writing and writing all of this out will start healing whatever wounds these things come from. I think the trick for me is to feel all of the self-doubt, admit to myself all my uncertainties, and just keep the queries going anyway. In light of what could be happening in life for me and isn't, I know I'm lucky.
I don't always agree with everything Julia Cameron says in these books, but I do know that, even though writing is my passion, I often find a lot of things to do to keep me from it (such as writing today and then suddenly remembering that I hadn't labeled the boxes of Christmas ornaments--I divvy them up between the nonbreakables and the glass ornaments, some of which I have had for over 20 years and need to be labeled as "fragile"). But no bull was crashing through my house in danger of smashing ornaments..it was just me, procrastinating. I am proud to say that I put down the Christmas ornaments and went back to the page. One thing I've realized in doing the Morning Pages lately: I'm my own worst creative "enemy," and I know it!
6 comments:
Dear Ms. Strega,
Thanks so much for commenting, and in such a lovely way, on my blog. It can only class up the joint! Thanks for the tip on the book, I will check it out. It's funny that you mention sorting ornaments as a dire priority! Today I did the same thing with Christmas lights, I just "had to" separate the good from the bad, box and label them all so they could be stacked every so neatly in the attic! It reminds of something Bonnie Friedman wrote in her book "Writing Past Dark" and how she has to kill every fly in the house before she can "focus".
I like your blog and writing very much. Your post on O'Beirne's "book" was a hoot, and your posts about query letters will have me coming back to figure how to do it. I think it is, for lack of a better word, awesome, that you have completed your manuscript and have it out there.
I also had a great-grandmother who was an Italian witch, not sure if she really was or just my mom's opinion of her!
I look forward to reading about your path to publishing and hope to learn much from it.
Good for you, Joan! Handwritten rejections...and you soldiering on. This thing is going to get published sometime, and I'm so happy for you, even if it's taking longer than you'd like.
To echo my dad's favorite encouragement--KOKO (Keep on keeping on).
thank you for your nice comment--I hope that my own journeys can help you along yours--Ms. Strega
Thanks, Julie--I really appreciate your comments! I know it will happen, too!
Your writing goes on and on. The voice of Tony Soprano's sister comes to mind. Can't recall her name at the moment. Maybe I'll apply for an MFA.
Thanks for the insight.
Interesting comment, Anonymous. I never have watched the Sopranos (a reply, I suppose, on the level of John Malkovich saying, "I never played a jewel thief" in Being John Malkovich).
Post a Comment