It was a Dickens of a week.
(It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…)
Let’s begin with the worst because why not get it out of the way first? About 3 weeks ago, the most exciting thing to ever happen to me as a writer, umm, happened. I received my first full manuscript submission request. I have a post coming up next week that explains in more detail the query process and why a submission request is Kind of a Biggish Deal, but for now I’ll simply say that it represented my first opportunity to put my entire book in front of a literary agent. And it was an agent at a very well-established firm. I was thrilled!
And then a bunch of stuff happened (more on that next week) and I realized that I kinda, maybe made a very rookie ‘newbie writer’ mistake and, long story short, I finally got a response on my submission and the agent passed. Having gone through a rollercoaster of emotions over the previous 3 weeks, I had more or less resigned myself to that outcome, but it still stung. This actually happened last Friday, and I took the weekend to wallow.
I’ve learned that, for me, that’s an important part of the whole trying-to-get-published process. Rejection and ADHD don’t go well together, and pursuing traditional publishing is a rejection buffet for writers, so it takes a LOT of mental and emotional energy for me to push through and keep going. Spending a day (or two or three) being in my sad feelings about a rejection has been more helpful for me than trying to ignore or supress those feelings. I’ve been querying my book for 7 weeks now, and day by day it’s becoming a little bit easier to handle generic rejections; the downtime is decreasing. This was a more painful rejection than most, though, so I decided I deserved a little treat to take some of the sting out.
Little treats are also an important part of the process. Sometimes it’s ordering my fave grocery store cake, sometimes it’s a pedicure, sometimes it’s buying a book. This time, the little treat was a bit of a splurge. Ahem. I did something I’ve never done before: buy a piece of clothing from Anthropologie at regular full price. Whut?!? Yes. Yes, I did. I bought something at retail … not even on sale. It was a dress I had been eyeing for a few months, after seeing it pop up in my Insta feed, and something that fits me to a T, and is both versatile and easy to wear. You’ll see it next week, and then you’ll understand what I mean when I say that it was made for me.
Ok, now for the good times part of the post. There’s actually quite a few things to report. First, and in keeping with the theme, I’m happy to say that I received my second full manuscript submission request. Yay! I am keeping my expectations manageable, and my fingers crossed.
Last Friday, I met up with one of my thrifting buddies and we made a wonderful day of it – thrifting, lunching, catching up. So good for the soul – and I found some cute things too. Lately, I’ve been mostly buying housewares and accessories, not so much clothing. In the wake of the clothing swap, I did another closet edit and removed a couple of dozen pieces … and I still have a full closet. Clearly, I don’t need more clothes. I’m planning to write down some thoughts on closet editing soon, so stay tuned for that.
On Saturday, I went to the mall with my SIL (where I bought my dress) and we had a fun time pretending we were teenagers again. No, but seriously: why does it look like 1999 up in there? I’m not complaining, but it’s … disorienting.
Speaking of the 90s, this week I read Girl on Girl: How Pop Culture Turned a Generation of Women Against Themselves by Sophie Gilbert and it was SO GOOD!! Guys! If, like me, you came of age in the 90s and early 00s, and you’re interested in female-centric cultural commentary, you have to check out this book. I heard about it from Anne Helen Petersen’s podcast, Culture Study, who had the author as a guest on a recent episode. Give that a listen, it was also excellent, and it made me immediately go and order the book. 10/10
That’s a wrap for this week. Have an amazing weekend!
Congratulations! Seriously. People are looking at your manuscript – you are on your way. You will get there.
Stephen King wrote in his book, “On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, that he collected all his rejections, for years, and hung them on a nail in his writing space. And his breakthrough – Carrie – almost didn’t happen. He wrote the opening, and then threw it out. He came home to find the crumpled paper on the table, with a note from his wife, demanding to know what happened next. – because it resonated. He kept going, and that book was his start.
Your book will resonate with the right person. Hang in there. I feel very certain of this.
Funny that you should mention that Dickens quote – I’ve been mulling over it all this week like a Zen Koan. Or an obsessed Boston Terrier with its favorite toy.
When your book is published, I would love to buy an autographed copy.
Thank you, Mary Beth! That’s very kind of you, and I appreciate the words of encouragement.
One mantra that sometimes helps me when I’m going through a rough patch is “the only way out is through”. Actually, I need to mull that over a bit, right about now …
So many cliffhangers! The dress! A bunch of stuff that happened! The rookie mistake! 🫨
But fingers crossed for you and wishing much good luck to you re your manuscript. 🍀
Haha! Not intentional (really) but maybe all my fiction writing is rubbing off on my blog writing 😉