The Doldrums
I find myself
down in the dumps lately and wishing not to open my computer for the day’s
writing, which is unlike me. Usually, writing buoys me up and I lose track of
time in the midst of creating a sentence, a paragraph. I’m not tired of writing,
don’t need a vacation from it. I need validation, I guess, that this is the
path I should be pursuing.
I’ve written a
novel and am well into finishing the second in what I intend to be a trilogy.
I’ve sent a query letter to just over twenty agents so far to see if they might
be interested in reading the manuscript—nothing but formulaic rejection letters
in return. This is hardly unusual or unexpected. J. K. Rowling went through
over ninety before someone picked up the Harry Potter books. I don’t mind the
process, though it takes quite a bit of time to research every agency and agent
to make sure what I have to offer fits in with the types of books they like to
represent.
The Other Steps
to Publication
It’s the
business and social media parts that give me conniptions. Network with other
writers, they recommend and mean online. They want to see a social media
presence that you can build on to gather potential readers. I am part of a
local writer’s group, but we don’t have visibility outside of the group. Make
sure your manuscript is ready for publication, which means it should be edited
and polished, ready to go. I can’t afford one professional, let alone the team
this requires—editing for content and proof reading are two different skills.
Publish short
stories to build your audience. I’m not convinced this one is credible. People
who gravitate toward short stories tend not to take the time to read novels, a
growing trend, they say, in our fast-paced world. Have a good team of beta
readers—preferably people with knowledge of skilled writing who read your
manuscript and offer suggestions where there might be problems with the flow of
the story, whether your premise comes across, etc. My writer’s group meets once
a month. Each person reads something about six pages in length, not conducive
to sharing a novel. Besides, no one can remember what you read the month
before. Supposedly there are groups online where you can find beta readers, but
not knowing the people, you take a chance sharing your material.
Perseverance
The other day I
read that the vast majority of published writers will not get their first novel
published, the idea no doubt being that it takes time and experience to perfect
your craft. I’m starting this late in life, however, and feel the constraint of
time. My first attempt at my novel netted 275,000 words, about the length of
three books, so I had to start over and pare down the first book, now at
108,000 words. Long for a first novel, it is not out of the question for a
fantasy, which requires more description of the world being built.
I hope going
through that process counts as a second novel. I have other stories in mind and
make notes for them as they occur to me, but I’m not ready to move on from this
one until I give it my all. Guess I’ll give myself a day or two to brood and
then get more involved on the internet and persevere.
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