IWSG 27- Adrift In Query-land

It's August. And the first Wednesday of the month actually fell on the first, not sure how many times that's happened before. Either way, that means it's IWSG blog hop day!

If you've been keeping up with my posts this year, you know I've ventured into what I call Query-land.  When I started this process it was going to be a 'just for the experience' sort of deal, and for the most part it still is, but feelings are changing the longer I'm dealing with that side of the business.

Why? Well the waiting. The waiting for responses is enough to drive a person insane. Especially if you're like me and patience isn't your strong suit.

Now my support group all advise to 'set it and forget it' (yes a slogan from a late night infomercial) but that's easier said than done. Mostly because the way to 'forget it' is by writing and working on other things while you await what could possibly be the dreaded R.

In my case, it's a tad harder because as I discussed back in June's post, I've not been in the mood to write. Because of that I have way more time to obsessively refresh my email or submittable page hoping for some word, one way or another.

But some good has come of this adventure. As discussed last month, I did receive my first rejection, quickly followed by a second. The first however was nice, and detailed and for that I was thankful. So much so, that when I attended the RWA (Romance Writers of America) conference a few weeks ago, I waited in line to talk to the editor that rejected me to thank her. And let me tell ya, I could see from the look on her face that being thanked for a rejection doesn't happen often. LOL But I wanted to let her know how much I appreciated the fact that she took the time to write out what didn't work for her. It was a pleasant conversation, and left an opening for future possible submissions to her.

I also got to have lunch with editors from another publisher thanks to a Twitter contest I won. No talking shop, just hanging out and having drinks, and relaxing after a busy few days at the conference.

The building of relationships. I probably would have never had these chances if I hadn't set off down this path. I've given myself til the end of the year. I'll keep querying, putting myself out there, and try my hardest not to think of the waiting involved.

This month's optional question: What pitfalls would you warn other writers to avoid on their publication journey?

~Don't compare yourself to others. Your journey will be different from theirs. As a slow writer, this was hard for me. I often felt like I was doing it 'wrong' or not cut out for things because I wasn't producing fast enough. As writers we face enough obstacles along the way, and we (or I do) get in our own way a lot of the time. By not playing the comparison game, it's one less thing to mess with your head as you make your way in this business. 

The Insecure Writer’s Support Group is a home for writers in all stages; from unpublished to bestsellers. Our goal is to offer assistance and guidance. We want to help writers overcome their insecurities, and by offering encouragement we are creating a community of support.

The awesome co-hosts for the August 1 posting of the IWSG are Erika Beebe, Sandra Hoover, Susan Gourley, and Lee Lowery!

Until next time

~Meka