Well,
Nightmare on Query Street is over – for me at least. It was a fun few days but ultimately the
judges didn’t find what they were looking for in my manuscript. I won’t lie and say there weren’t tears or
there wasn’t a brief moment of “why do I bother”. I’ve been asked to not stray too far away
from the twitter feed even though I am no longer in the running (and maybe
never really was). Apparently, my
contributions to the feed have been worthwhile but I’m still undecided on
that. I don’t want to come off as sour
grapes but the stab of rejection is a little too fresh for me to wade back in
to watch the celebrating.
Now
it’s back to the query trenches with the hope that someone, somewhere will see
something in my little manuscript that could.
I still believe in the piece even if I’m having trouble finding people
who feel the same way. And, it’s not
just because I’m the author and I think everything I write is amazing. Is it a perfect manuscript? Probably not but wasn’t it Picasso who said
art is never finished but rather abandoned?
I’m sure some tweaks need to be made but as a whole I think I have
something good and people who have actually read it agree.
I
want to thank the good folks who were chatting with me last night and talked me
off my proverbial ledge. Those first few
moments after the announcement was made weren’t pretty ones for me. It’s always my endeavor to never come off as
whiny or anything and if I ever came close to it last night I
apologize.
I didn't write this because I wanted anyone to feel sorry for me or that I feel sorry for myself. My goal with this blog is to chronicle the ups and downs of this process. It's easy to say "don't take it personal" or "don't let it get you down". But, we're all humans with emotions and not having feelings just isn't in the cards. Having those moments of reflection, sadness, and even doubt are okay. They're even healthy. But, the goal is not to dwell on those moments. To take stock and move forward carrying something better than what you had before.
I didn't write this because I wanted anyone to feel sorry for me or that I feel sorry for myself. My goal with this blog is to chronicle the ups and downs of this process. It's easy to say "don't take it personal" or "don't let it get you down". But, we're all humans with emotions and not having feelings just isn't in the cards. Having those moments of reflection, sadness, and even doubt are okay. They're even healthy. But, the goal is not to dwell on those moments. To take stock and move forward carrying something better than what you had before.
I
would also like to thank the hard working folks behind #NoQS. All of you have jobs, families, and your own
books but you still made the time to try to help people reach their ultimate goals
and find an agent/publisher. This road
doesn’t end here for you guys and it stretches on for you and the writers you
saw potential in. May you all find
success in your future endeavors.
Finally,
congratulations to the winners – may you all come out of this adventure with
agents, books deals, and gads of fans.
What a great post, Kristin! I'm feeling the same way right now. That sting of rejection isn't fun.
ReplyDeleteA wise, best-selling author once told me, be patient with yourself, it takes time. She made a ten year plan for herself (granted, I can't imagine doing this for ten years) but I think with patience, it will come. Don't give up. I think anything we want enough in this life, will eventually come true. Good luck with everything! I'll be rooting for you from twitter (or you can find me on my blog!) Now, I'm off to tweak my query...
~Kristin Smith
http://swordsandstilettos.blogspot.com
Keep your chin up and don't abandon your art. Thanks for all your fun tweets!
ReplyDeleteYour tweets were so much fun! Your song picks definitely did add to the liveliness and verve of the #noqs feed. In fact, you seemed so lighthearted I thought you might be a mentor and not an entrant :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for this blog post today. You're brave to put it out there, and I, for one, really needed to hear this and know I'm not alone in struggling just a little more than I'd like with the sting of rejection. You've cheered me up today and restored a bit of my faith in myself and my ms., and I thank you very, very much for that :)
Good luck to us both! And it really is true that if nothing else, contests like this let us meet wonderful new people who are on the same journey-- I've had a hard time connecting with other writers online, and I feel like I've met so many great people through NoQS!
I'm also having some self-doubt in NoQS aftermath. Hopefully I'll be able to work through it,but seriously considering shelving this work and focusing on something else.
ReplyDeleteI can certainly understand that. I think that thought has crossed many peoples minds at different times.
DeleteThe self doubt is what did me in. My genre is just not popular at the moment and to be honest, I though - to hell with it, and now I'm self publishing. I will query other books in the future but I understand that my genre is currently unpopular and why. I totally understand that agents are drowning in vampire books and I understand their apprehension - I read some truly awful ones in the aftermath of Twilight but I also read some good ones and those that have read mine agree that it is worthy of publishing. Keep your chin firmly up my dear. I am looking forward to reading yours - one day it'll land in an agents email and they will be like - YES! xxx
ReplyDelete