While Waiting, Writing
"Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, like servants waiting for their master to return..." Luke 12: 35-36
So much about the publication process (rather, attempting to get into the publication process) is about waiting. Even while waiting, I want to be persistent. If I simply wait for answers from the agent on my novel (or a literary magazine on a short story) before moving forward with either the same story (sequel, for example) or other stories, I could make myself go crazy.
Why haven't they replied to my email? Did they even get the manuscript? How long should I wait before querying to make sure they haven't forgotten me or misplaced my email?
Instead of focusing on those thoughts, and they can plague me at times, I am working on other stories. Yes, I work full time and have animals at home to take care of and books to read and plenty of other things to keep me distracted. But writing other pieces and submitting other places can help not only stave off the questions, but can also soften the rejections that come in. Getting one rejection on the one story I sent out can be more devastating than getting one rejection out of the ten stories I'm waiting to hear back about. Not that rejections are fun, but they don't have to lay me out like a punch to the face.
The Bible talks about making oneself ready even while waiting for something, and I think that can apply to my writing. When the rejections come in, and they will, I can be ready to send out again.
So much about the publication process (rather, attempting to get into the publication process) is about waiting. Even while waiting, I want to be persistent. If I simply wait for answers from the agent on my novel (or a literary magazine on a short story) before moving forward with either the same story (sequel, for example) or other stories, I could make myself go crazy.
Why haven't they replied to my email? Did they even get the manuscript? How long should I wait before querying to make sure they haven't forgotten me or misplaced my email?
Instead of focusing on those thoughts, and they can plague me at times, I am working on other stories. Yes, I work full time and have animals at home to take care of and books to read and plenty of other things to keep me distracted. But writing other pieces and submitting other places can help not only stave off the questions, but can also soften the rejections that come in. Getting one rejection on the one story I sent out can be more devastating than getting one rejection out of the ten stories I'm waiting to hear back about. Not that rejections are fun, but they don't have to lay me out like a punch to the face.
The Bible talks about making oneself ready even while waiting for something, and I think that can apply to my writing. When the rejections come in, and they will, I can be ready to send out again.
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