As a writer, you get used to rejection. Lots of it. We all have our ways of dealing with it. Who knew that the limbo while waiting for the rejection could actually be a little bit harder?
Take right now, for example. I've got eight outstanding queries on my book, "Toxic." One of them, miracle of miracles, asked for a full off my query and 10 sample pages. That was a month ago. Still waiting, but according to industry scuttlebutt, it could take another three months to even hear if they want edits and then a resubmit. Of the other seven, three are set to go into "if we don't respond by XX date, we're not interested" land. Now these are the interesting ones, because up to now every agent that's said that actually responded. With rejections, but still. According to their guidelines, a "no" left you in the "no reply, period" zone. So while I'm getting ready to cross them off my list, I keep thinking "the others that said I wouldn't hear actually sent a form email, so maybe..." Dangerous ground because it leaves you in a weird limbo world, not wanting to send out more queries while those are outstanding, just in case they provide some helpful feedback that will make future queries stronger. Hey, it could happen some day. I could win the Powerball, too.
To distract myself, I'm working on the second book. I'm also having an argument with myself about whether I need to write a couple short stories and get them published. Get in the SFWA so that my experience line isn't so...absent. Easier said than done, of course. I'm not going to claim getting a short story published is any easier than a novel. But what's a girl to do? I swear it's like waiting to see if anyone will ask you to the prom.
What's playing: "House of Wolves," by My Chemical Romance.
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