It’s time for another round of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group. Even though I can’t believe another month has come and gone, it has (I know I’m singing my all-too-familiar-tune). If you haven’t taken a virtual ride from the image and traveled to blogs heretofore unknown to you, do it now. What are you waiting for?
On to my own insecurity.
This month, I’m practically coming out of my skin from nerves, anxiety, excitement and… I’ve been querying my first manuscript as I begin writing my second. All was going as expected: rejections, with a mix of form letters and more personalized little notes. Then – boom. A partial request. I was thrilled and repeat the litany of adjectives already mentioned above. Weeks passed and nothing. I began to think that another rejection was poised and ready to fly into my inbox.
But that’s not what happened.
I received a full request. EEEKKKK! My first one.
I sent it right away and then the email stalking began. I have checked my email over a hundred times in the week and a half since that request, even over the holidays when the agent’s assistant said they would be out of the office. Geez. I need a head slapping emoticon or one where I can roll my own eyes. I even made myself aware of the average wait times for full reads – about two months for those of you who haven’t pathetically googled every website about random such info. Every. Single. One.
Still nothing. Argh… I’m coming out of my skin waiting, even though I know the odds are long, and I’m still at the beginning of the marathon that is publishing. Did I already say argh?
Anyways, my question is:
How do other writers maintain their focus, sanity and normalcy during this process?
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Now on to our regularly scheduled news break.
This first piece is not really news per se, but sooooo cool. I want to try this. Well, not really. But I do want to watch it done. 🙂
It’s the zombies. They eat brains, you know? Zombies, I tell you.
And in a nod to my teaching side, an explanation about how one of science’s most famous theories makes a lot of modern life possible. Thanks, Einstein!
http://www.livescience.com/48922-theory-of-relativity-in-real-life.html
Until next time. Enjoy the news.
kimlajevardi 
CONGRATS! That is so awesome!! In answer to what you do while waiting…WRITE! Keep on writing. Wishing you much success!
Congrats on the full request! That’s so cool. If you think that’s tough, wait until you get a revise and resubmit. That will really mess with your head. If possible, keep writing and keep querying/researching agents and may the odds be ever in your favor.
Congratulations. During the days of snail mail, I couldn’t wait to check my mail. When agents started to accept email, I checked it whenever I could. Then when I could get my email on a phone, every time it beeped I thought it might be an agent. But I do put the phone to the side or ignore my computer so I can do other things. I always find I get good news when I least expect it.
Setting aside my email for periods of time sounds like a productive way to handle it, but I just can’t at the moment. 😉
“How do other writers maintain their focus, sanity and normalcy during this process?” We don’t. We’re bundles of nerves and totally stalk our inboxes and FREAK if we actually see a reply. We then chew our lips off before we work up the courage to open it and read it.
There are no words for that exploding shrimp gun. I couldn’t get the missing brain one to load, and then the one about Einstein convinced me that my own brain is missing. I understood nothing. Apparently school and learning stuff is for the youthful. :O
I will most definitely FREAK when I get a response. 🙂
I’ll go fix the link now. Something about abcnews that often doesn’t allow sharing. *Rolleyes*
I mark it on my calender and cross my fingers. Not much else to do but get busy on a new project. Good Luck, I hope you get good news. 🙂
Anna from Shout with Emaginette
Crossing fingers, and toes for that matter, is my plan. I hadn’t thought of putting an x on my calendar. Maybe that will let me keep it noted, but pass into the quiet din on the background of my life. Probably not, but it’s worth trying. 🙂
First, congratulations on your first full request!
Second: no one can keep their skulls together when they get their first full request. I spent my whole month twitter stalking and checking my email every five second. I cried when I got the rejection letter a month later. I thought for sure–for sure. But alas, my first was not to be.
It’s good that you’re working on something else, it helps reduce the feeling of finality that comes with rejections. Also, good luck on that full request! Maybe this will be The One!
Thanks, Rena! I hope, and I wait. But, yeah, this first one may not be the one. I may be kissing frogs, or I may not. Only time will tell. In the meantime, I stalk my email.
Congrats! That’s incredible. And it’s good you’ve got another project to keep you occupied.
Thanks, Sara! My new project is helping, but still I stalk my email. 🙂
Congratulations!
Keep working on the next book. That’s the best thing you can do to keep busy and occupied. And if the first one sells, trust me – you want something else waiting in the wings.
Thanks, Alex! I am staying busy, but, boy oh boy, am I coming out of my skin with the waiting.