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Share your rejections

Today on Twitter the hashtag Share your rejections was trending. I set out to write one tweet and wrote this instead.  My first query rejection was very kind and positive. I still cried, but it was the best rejection anyone could hope for.  The rejection that sticks out to me was one that I’m just getting over, when my freelance editor told me the book was going nowhere.  That may sound harsh, it did to me. I cried. I screamed. I wanted to go drink but the restaurant my family took me to was in a dry town. I was inconsolable. I never responded to the editor. After paying hundreds and working with her on 3 rounds of edits this felt like a betrayal.  Her exact words were that it was “charming but not compelling” and that I was too close to really tear into it and make it what it needed to be. I was so mad. What did she mean “tear into it?” It didn’t need tearing. It needed line edits and proofreading. The story was fine.  3 years later I can tell you something I’ve never
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Time for an update

It's been a little while since I posted and I thought it was time to do a little update. As is expected in your first batch of queries, I have receive many rejections. I won't say how many...but I will say that I'm not at all sad or upset about it. It is part of the process and all of the agents have been super nice. Some have actually offered suggestions on how to fix things. I even received a full request, but was later rejected due to pacing problems. For someone this early in the game, that is amazing. So here is what is up for me...In the coming weeks I will be receiving my MS back from my new editor, the wonderful Tiffany Hofmann aka Khaleesi. I will spend the next few months doing a line by line overhaul on the whole thing. Once that is done, probably around the new year, I will send off my second batch of queries. In November, for the first time, start a fresh MS for NaNoWriMo. This will be something totally new to me. The MS is new adult, amateur sleuth,
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Rejection

Rejection is part of the creative process, any author/artist/creator will tell you that. Does its commonality make it easier? No. Many great people faced rejection before success. 12 publishers rejected JK Rowling. Stephen King's Carrie was rejected 30 times. Beatrix Potter had to self publish. Do these facts make rejection easier? Nope. Today I officially received my first rejection. I will admit, I cried and was sick. Its hard to hear that someone isn't interested in your work. Its not just something you whipped together in a matter of hours and plopped down for the world to see. Its years of hard work, scarified free time and social life, and deep soul searching. Its not an easy to thing to let someone see it. Its the most vulnerable I've ever been in my life. All that being said, I have to say that my first rejection was probably one of the most kind rejections anyone has ever received.  The agent didn't say it wasn't good, or even that it was flawed. She si
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Exactly what I needed to hear.

The last year has been a roller coaster of ups and downs, triumph and self-doubt.  I have screamed and cried and actually vomited from the overwhelming emotions that have come from this journey to publication. Today brought more tears, but this time a whole different kind. After participating in #PitchSlam and not making it to the agent round, I decided to get together my submission package and query agents directly.  So I started looking for editors to help me polish up my query and first 10 pages. With my past experience with freelance editing, I was weary about paying someone to look at my stuff.  Luckily, nearly every editor I found this time offered free sample editing.  After trying out a few, I settled on one that fit my style and needs. For a VERY reasonable fee, she looked over my stuff and VERY quickly sent me back so of the most helpful feedback I've ever received. I have to admit, I was frightened by the amount of notes she had after I'd already been through
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New path

So my latest report was not what I expected.  Along with some notes, it was suggested that perhaps it was time for me to move on from this story.  Write something else, and someday I'll see that this story was either just a learning experience or something I wasn't ready to write at this time. As much as I have valued Taryn's opinion and grown from her recommendations, I cannot do this.  Not yet.  I've spent ten years of my life working on this.  I'm not ready to move on.  I'm not ready to give up and write something else (if even temporarily).  I will always be grateful to Taryn for how she  helped me grow as a writer, but for now, I have to go my own way. So here is the plan: First, (just because I had the voucher and I really really just wanted to hold it) I printed 2 copies of my book through Createspace.  If anyone is looking for print on demand services, I highly recommend them.  Their tools made it super easy and the finished product amazing.  They&
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Wishin' and Hopin'

I sent my third draft to Taryn on April 16th.  After a couple big re-writes and a lot of little changes I am really confident with this draft.  It is amazing to see how the story has grown and changed over these three drafts.  My first draft was just barely over 52k and now I'm nearly at 60k.  I have developed characters to a level that I never could have expected.   I've had a few people asking what's next.  Well, that depends.  If Taryn has more notes for me, then I will start to work on my fourth draft.  If Taryn says "Ok you've gotten this as good as it is going to get," then we begin working on my submission materials.  This is writing my query and making sure my first 10 pages sparkle. I'm really excited to have come this far.  I've been working on this for so long that it's hard to believe I'm actually getting there. So for now....we wait....and see what Taryn has to say. 
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Constructive criticism: Reader Report # 2

So last week, I handed over my manuscript to my editor and asked her to tear it apart and tell me what I did wrong.  It's never easy receiving criticism, but this was about as painless as it comes.  My editor is so wonderful.  She has taken an experience that could potentially be so frightening and made it a breeze.  I cannot say it enough.  If you need editing and/or critique services, check out Taryn Albright .  You won't regret it. This is my second Reader Report from Taryn.  The last report prompted some major changes and a lot of work.  What did she have to say this time?  Well, I'm on the right track.  There are a few things that still need work, but the good news is the major changes I made the last go round worked well.  Basically there are things here and there that need to be improved and I need to work on my use of commas and periods, and dialog tags. (Confession: I suck at grammar.)  So at least one more pass is needed, but I'll have it done by February.
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