Time and Patience
When I started this blog earlier this year, I promised to provide updates on the experience of writing and trying to find a publisher. Most of my content so far has been dedicated to the act of writing/editing, staying motivated and other little odds and ends.
Now that I’ve got a finished product (in that the draft is done and it’s been given a thorough tear-down by yours truly) it’s time to move on to the next phase of my ‘getting published’ saga.
Before I got to this point, I thought one of the first things I’d have to do was find an agent or start submitting my unsolicited work to various imprints. DAW is actually my first choice. They have something of a focus on new/up and coming writers, and I’ve been reading their authors for over 20 years now. Given my familiarity with their books, the tone and tenor of some of their best known authors (C. J. Cherryh, Julie Czerneda) and the fact that my book is primarily about humans being humans, with all the intrigue and tension/action that goes along with it - I think I have something good to offer their brand.
Obviously I won’t know whether that’s true or not until I’ve actually submitted the bloody thing and gotten my first rejection letter back. Only half-joking there.
So, what does all this have to do with time and patience?
Well, here’s the thing. Before I even submit this manuscript, I’ve got several people reading it. The reason I’m doing that is the same as anyone who’s ever handed in a term paper - another pair of eyes can catch what you don’t see. And here’s the thing - most of us have full-blown lives. Work, family, friends, hobbies - we only have so much attention and energy to go around. So when I found a bunch of people to take a look at my work, I expected it would be awhile for them to be able to sit down and have a go at it. Because reading an early draft isn’t the same as reading a finished product - no matter how good you are, there will always be occasional typos, hanging sentences, nonsensical paragraphs and unnecessary exposition cluttering up your story.
In my excitement I think I underestimated what I was asking of them. This is where being part of a writing circle or group, or paying a professional editor is generally an advantage. Unfortunately I don’t belong to one (although there are a few around) and I don’t have the money to pay a professional to go over the manuscript with a fine-toothed comb.
So I’m relying on friends and family for now. And I do hope those who’ve agreed to take their time with my draft will enjoy the underlying story - that they won’t find too many mistakes in it, because those little bits and peices get in the way. They deduct from the amount of enjoyment a reader will get from the words on the page. And if I want people to spend money on my stories, I want them to be worth the money. I want people to look up after spending hours lost in my creations and feel like it was worth it. I want them to look forward to the next chapter, book, short story - whatever.
Once I have their feedback, I’ll be in a better position to know what I need to work on before finally putting this thing out there.
Now that I’ve got a finished product (in that the draft is done and it’s been given a thorough tear-down by yours truly) it’s time to move on to the next phase of my ‘getting published’ saga.
Before I got to this point, I thought one of the first things I’d have to do was find an agent or start submitting my unsolicited work to various imprints. DAW is actually my first choice. They have something of a focus on new/up and coming writers, and I’ve been reading their authors for over 20 years now. Given my familiarity with their books, the tone and tenor of some of their best known authors (C. J. Cherryh, Julie Czerneda) and the fact that my book is primarily about humans being humans, with all the intrigue and tension/action that goes along with it - I think I have something good to offer their brand.
Obviously I won’t know whether that’s true or not until I’ve actually submitted the bloody thing and gotten my first rejection letter back. Only half-joking there.
So, what does all this have to do with time and patience?
Well, here’s the thing. Before I even submit this manuscript, I’ve got several people reading it. The reason I’m doing that is the same as anyone who’s ever handed in a term paper - another pair of eyes can catch what you don’t see. And here’s the thing - most of us have full-blown lives. Work, family, friends, hobbies - we only have so much attention and energy to go around. So when I found a bunch of people to take a look at my work, I expected it would be awhile for them to be able to sit down and have a go at it. Because reading an early draft isn’t the same as reading a finished product - no matter how good you are, there will always be occasional typos, hanging sentences, nonsensical paragraphs and unnecessary exposition cluttering up your story.
In my excitement I think I underestimated what I was asking of them. This is where being part of a writing circle or group, or paying a professional editor is generally an advantage. Unfortunately I don’t belong to one (although there are a few around) and I don’t have the money to pay a professional to go over the manuscript with a fine-toothed comb.
So I’m relying on friends and family for now. And I do hope those who’ve agreed to take their time with my draft will enjoy the underlying story - that they won’t find too many mistakes in it, because those little bits and peices get in the way. They deduct from the amount of enjoyment a reader will get from the words on the page. And if I want people to spend money on my stories, I want them to be worth the money. I want people to look up after spending hours lost in my creations and feel like it was worth it. I want them to look forward to the next chapter, book, short story - whatever.
Once I have their feedback, I’ll be in a better position to know what I need to work on before finally putting this thing out there.
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