Being thankful...
*Sin perches on a railing and watches as Marn tries unsuccessfully to calm her.* "She's being thankful."
*Hellie* "Is her life really that bad?"
*Sin* "Nah. She's just out on submission. It's hard to stay thankful."
*Marn whips around* "Shh! Don't remind her!"
*Hellie* "Ohh. Well. Nothing like a nice rejection letter to remind a pirate to stay thankful."
***
As we all know, we're approximately T-minus-76-hours from Thanksgiving Dinner. I love Thanksgiving Dinner. I love smashing as many family members as you can around a table, all the yelling and "Hey, that was the last roll!" and insults being flung around. Last year, there was even a fork almost stabbed into someone's hand (my husband's family takes the roll situation seriously. God forbid we ever run out).
And then comes the question. "What are you thankful for this year?"
Now, I have a lot to be thankful for. I have a healthy family, job security, and a comfortable home. At the moment, there's not much more I can ask for. And I am thankful for all that.
But at the same time, there's this every-growing cloud of fear and rejection. My agent sent out my manuscript in October. And we heard nothing for a full month. It's good news, he told me. A full month without a pass is spectacular!
But even spectacular things come to an end, and the rejections started rolling in. It wasn't a big shock. We all face it. I've faced rejection before and I'll face it again. But man, it sucks. Every time I look at the emails again, I focus on these lines. These are the rejection lies. Some masochistic instinct makes me re-read them on a daily basis.
.................
But this week, pirates, it's Thanksgiving. Screw masochistic impulses to rub salt in wounds. Forget wallowing in the descending cloud of realizing that this may not be the book. This one may have to go under the bed, and then it's going to be time to start over.
Back away from the knife block, ladies.
Oh, was I the only one? *stealthily sliding paring knife back into its slot*
So what do you do? When all you want to do is throw down the pen, lower your forehead to the table, and let out low, guttural moaning noises. When the thought of revising one more time makes your toes shrivel up in your special Thanksgiving socks.
No, really. I'm asking. What the hell do I do next?
I've been working on another project I was excited about, targeted for Harlequin Blaze. But Harlequin's craptasitc debacle killed that enthusiasm.
I signed up for my Spring classes, including "Conflict in Romance" and "Putting the Thrill in your Thriller," and that's exciting.
But the only thing that really works is to look at how far I've come, take a few deep breaths from my paper bag, and tell myself that if I've improved this far, I'll keep improving, and someday....somehow....I'll be getting different letters. In the mean time, I've blacked out all the bad words in those rejection letter, and am now only reading the pretty words that are left:
....................
They make me feel warm and fuzzy. Yes, I know, there's a giant BUT coming (see the rejection nasty words above), but it's Thanksgiving. I can just stare at the pretty, fuzzy words, and pretend the bad ones don't exist.
So let's hear it wenches! What are you thankful for this year? What milestones have you passed, goals have you met or benchmarks have you flown over? What are your accomplisments? This is your chance to brag! Forget the rejections. Black out those words. What pretty words are you left with?
Books by the Crew
58 comments:
Soon, Hal, soon. Christmas is coming, you know. Maybe Santa will pull some strings. *crosses fingers*
And I think the Harlequin debacle has curbed the enthusiam for a whole bunch of writers. It will be interesting how that all plays out. Fortunately Bo'sun loves the Reality TV aspect of it so much, she keeps me updated.
It's good to focus on the good things they've said, though I totally get why the rejection jumped out at you. (Aren't our brains pre-dispositioned for negative than positive? I think it's supposed to be a survival thing, though I never get how that worked. After all, positive people live longer than negative people.)
A rejection letter that takes the time to list your good qualities before saying, "Sorry, it's not for us at this time" is a good sign. It's a lot closer than the rejection letter that says, "No thanks, sucker" or the one with the wrong title and name within it, which lets you know they couldn't be bothered to note the book you actually wrote that they didn't want.
You're close. A month is not that long of a time. It just seems a long time when you're staring hopefully at the knife block.
As for what I'm thankful for. I haven't died yet or been diagnosed with anything horrible, so I still have a bit more time to finish my book. That's good, because clearly I'm not a fast writer. I've doubled my wordcount on my current story--that's something, being I wasn't writing for some time. Not really. I'm thankful having my own apartment; and no snakes in my apartment. I'm thankful for Team Jacob. I'm thankful my car is still working so I don't have to buy a new one. *LOL* And I'm thankful for rumcake.
I'm thankful that Q asked ta read me book and had some nicely pretty things ta say 'bout it. (Sure wish 'ed give me some particulars and I'd be REAL thankful fer that!)
*hint, hint
I wandered 'bout DC by meself and didn't freak out, not once! Me DH got a job. (Even if I wish they'd let him stay home a bit more...)
And I finished the tangled up urban fantasy novel and have begun markin' the crap outta it! Yippee!
(I like how two a' yer comments knew ya were a woman and the third were sure ya were a man! Good job!)
This sounds weird, but congratulations on the fabulous rejections. I know it won't be long.
I've had too good a year to even list, both personally and professionally---I'd go on forever. But I'm grateful just to wake up every day, even if it's at 5 AM, so I can write before work.
I would definitely concentrate on those positives, Hal. I agree that the fact that they took the time to point out the positives is a sign that you are really close!
I'm thankful that this rotten economy hasn't impacted us to a devastating degree, like it has some. I'm thankful my family (immediate and extended) are all here again this year to celebrate together. I'm thankful for my (healthy) DH and my marriage (I've gotten a birdseye view into a few marriages lately and it wasn't pretty). I'm thankful my kids are healthy and relatively happy - as happy as two teenage kids can be:)
Lastly, I'm thankful for all of you on this ship and throughout the internet. You inspire and delight daily! Thank you!
Hal - I've already told you how I feel about this project. I am sure that someone's going to pick it up. It won't be long and I agree with all that good stuff the editor had to say, particularly the part about how you have a long and exciting career ahead of you.
I'm just sending out submissions to agents right now. I've had a few rejections (six now?) and a full request. One of my rejections was even a personal one. So that's all good.
I admit I'm a little turned off by the Harlequin debacle as well. But I haven't been writing for a couple weeks. My mom's been here the past week and my kiddo's third birthday party was this past weekend and I had 30 people at my place. So that took some time and planning. And turkey day is Thurs and I've got 12-15 coming for dinner. I'd imagine I won't have much time to write this week either. :)
But there's always next week.
I am thankful for my DH and kiddo, as well as the kiddo on the way. All are healthy now and that is a huge blessing. I'm thankful I finished another story this year and thankful I've come as far as I have. And I'm thankful for all of you, my friends and family here. Thanks for being there for another year and cheering me on. :)
What the hell do I do next?
You continue to do exactly what you are doing. Acknowledging how far you've come and realizing the positive difference in the rejection letters. It's not so much a "no" but a "not right now." That same publisher who passed this time has a kind of sincerely reluctant tone of having to pass this time. I could hear "I wish I could buy this but just can't right now". They already have a "small and crowded list" and they just couldn't. It seems similar to the situation I read on the agent blog (Pub Rants) where she said "really good might not be good enough" and "the market is brutal." She had to pass on a good book and really hoped another agent took it on. I almost felt bad for her. So maybe the pubisher who wrote your reluctant rejection letter needs a little sympathy. :) Not to say that FM goes under the bed, but you are definitely on the right track for your career.
I'm thankful my coworker delivered those PB cups I ordered from his kid's fundraiser. These may not last long today.
Huge congrats on being on submission, Hal. That's so awesome. And I have to echo everyone else, it's so only a matter of time. And I can't imagine something this awesome going under the bed. Just from the little I know of it, it's too good to set aside like that.
I'm considering doing my own editorial on the Harlequin Kerfluffle next week. We'll see what happens. What can I say? It's Business 101 AND Romance writing. My brain is all abuzz!
My kiddo is over at her dad's this week (I am SO happy yesterday is over! Four flights in one day is CRAZY!) That means it's all quiet on the homefront and I'm hoping for lots of words this week. Goodness knows I need them if I want to end this month with at least HALF the words I should have done for NaNo. LOL!
Since I'm pretty sure we'll have at least four (or twelve) more chances to say what we're thankfull for this week, I'll ration my gratitude and stop here.
Helllie - we are predisposed to focus on the negative aren't we? Though I don't know why either. Maybe back in the day, it stopped the cave men from getting their hopes up about a nice pretty deer only to run headlong into a bear or something. *g*
A month is not that long of a time. It just seems a long time when you’re staring hopefully at the knife block. You said it! I keep telling myself it's only been a month. A month is nothing. I'll be fine.....and I'm sure it will, but man this waiting sucks!
Yay for doubling your word count and having a snakeless apartment! Both carry definite bragging rights!
Dude. Bragging rights to Chance! Well done on the novel and wandering DC alone. Don't you love that feeling, when you accomplish something you didn't think you could before? Makes me want to puff out my chest, stick my chin in the air, and yell, Ha!
Thanks Maggie - as far as rejection letters go, they're pretty great! And 5am to write? That takes dedication! I thought getting up at 7 to write was early *g*
Thanks Irish! You've got a great list there to be thankful for. Happy teenagers! LOL! I think having a marriage you can be thankful for is awesome. It certainly isn't easy.
Yay, more submissions for Marn! I'm so glad we're going this at the same time. It's like the buddy system for submissions. I like it *g*
12-15 for Thanksgiving? While preggo and with a 3 year old? You are a brave, brave woman. All I have to do is make a ham and bring it to my in-laws *g* Good luck, and have fun with the fam!
Melissa - I saw that blog post too! That keeps coming back to mind this week, that right now, really good just isn't good enough. And you're right - the letters have a very reluctant tone!
Ter - four flights in one day? Ewww! Do you have to go get her next week? In the meantime, good luck with NaNo. I'm making 25k my new personal goal. It's good enough for me *g*
You should definitely post on the Harlequin mess. I wanna hear your take on it!
I'm thankful for Irish too! And all you gals (and Q!) At the risk of sounding like the total loser I am, I have no friends here so y'all are all I've got. LOL!
Marn - I'm having one for Thanksgiving, and that's me. LOL! And I'm not even sure I'm going to put in the effort for that. Go you! And I'm thankful we have another little pirate on the way. It's pretty clear none of the rest of us are going to be reproducing little pirates anytime soon, so way to carry the load....literally. :)
Hal - We'll drive and meet in the middle next weekend. I've done this drive to many times, I'm not willing to do anything to get out of it. Doing it two weekends in a row just sucks. So, I spend the day flying, during which I read up a storm and can nap without worrying about killing me or someone else, and I'll drive next weekend. Maybe I'll do a book on CD, that always makes the trip go faster.
Hal, rejection always stings, no matter how prettily it's boxed. But I agree with the others that the positive comments about your work are ample to keep you hopeful and writing.
I'm thankful for too many things to list. My family is at the top of my list, but right now I'm most thankful that today is Grandless (the only day this week that is) and I may actually get some words written on my NaNo failure.
As for what I'm thankful for, it's more an ability to look forward with optimism that was hard to find at this time last year. I'm definitely thankful for the basics; happy, healthy child and a roof over our heads.
For writing, there are many things to be thanfulf for. In trying to stay optimistic, the Harlequin mess put the negatives of self publishing in my face. If I truly thought I was going to "make it big" I'd feel like someone who'd fallen for a Ponzi scheme after all this talk. I'm thankful I didn't hand over any money for publishing packages. I only paid for my own book. I can see it and hold it and let it go. It was a learning experience. Good things discovered are how careful you become on a final revision. Putting your manuscript in book format is a good tool to "see" what your final product looks like and the mistakes that proofreaders find. And another learning experience is on the ways to self promote, which are essential for any author. Soliciting reviews is what I'll do again, but not as a self published author. As I discovered, many review sites won't accept self published manuscripts. So, self publishing is a no-no, but printing a copy of your book is a tool. So, amidst lots of "I'm an idiot" feelings, I do find things about this year's experiences to be thankful for.
As for pretty words to hold on to, I have lots of pretty words of encouragement from the Pirates. :)
Thank you Janga! And good luck on NaNo - I'm going to fail this year too. Unless I get some major idea and manage to crack out 30k words this weekend. Doubtful *g*. Have fun with the grands the rest of the week!
Janga - Do not use the word "failure" in association to NaNo or anything else you do. The whole point of NaNo is to start something new and get writing. Yes, there is a large number goal at the outset, but the real goal is just to write. And you have written...A LOT. That's not failure. The only way you could have failed was if you were still sitting at zero words and walked away.
So, you are not failing and you will not fail and I will not hear any more of this failure stuff. Hear?
*crosses arms and huffs*
I must add me words ta the rest, Hal. It ain't yer book that is bein' rejected, it's bein' squeezed out by a slender market. Things will change and yer book will run up against the editor that will scream 'EUREKA!' and dash ta the phone ta call you. It will be on their list a' what I'm desperately looking for.
Melissa - As for what I’m thankful for, it’s more an ability to look forward with optimism
That's awesome. Definitely what I'm missing at the moment *g* I think self-publishing has it's advantages, and I think you approached it in a very knowledgeable way. I think what upsets me most about Harlequin's thing is that (from what I've heard) it's all over their submission guidelines and rejection letters as if it will get you later published by Harlequin, not clearly stated as an advertisement for something you can purchase. It's disingenuous.
Melissa - I think it's important to point out that self-publishing is not the negative in this Harlequin catastrophe. No one is knocking self-pubbing. I'll go into more detail next week, but the real negative is the extortion aspect of it. The charging of LARGE amounts of money for loose and empty promises and misguided manipulations. Whatever feelings you have toward your decision to self-pub, and I'm sure your feelings were clear long before last week, please do not let them be influenced by this debacle. Self-pubbing takes guts and has worked our for many individuals.
It will be on their list a’ what I’m desperately looking for. Thanks Chance! I shall cross my fingers and pray that you're right!
Sorry to talk about this now, but I do think it's a good thing that the negatives of self publishing are brought to light by this HQ mess. I agree what they did was "disingenuous" and "extortion." I really hope they get stopped in their tracks. I think they could be starting something even bigger. Before HQ backtracked and said they wouldn't associate their name with the venture, I almost thought it would open the door for self publishing in a strange way of respectability by association with a giant in the industry. That might look good, but be bad in the long run. What if reviewers accepted self published novels? Bad books wouldn't get through the reviews and good books would get picked up for mass publication from those good reviews. It's my radical thought on the trend of publishing. They want to put the risk on the author. I can almost see that trend as a way for publishers to hedge their bets and change the way of publishing.
For one, I'm pretty sure little would come of good reviews. If the fact #1 box office smash movies usually get horrible reviews is an indication, getting a self-pubbed book reviewed, good or bad, wouldn't amount to much.
Publishers seem to want what everyone wants, a guarantee on return. But that's totally unrealistic and everyone knows that. That's why they pay big bucks for people with skill, knowledge, and experience to choose which books are worth taking the risk. Unfortunately, no amount of skill, knowledge, and experience is enough to predict the future and the whims of a fickle public.
Okay, we should not have hijacked this wonderful blog that is all about celebrating Hal and her awesome achievements. Now I feel bad, we shut everyone up.
I'm going to take a break and shut up everywhere for a while. And y'all will be thankful for it. :)
it wasn't supposed to be about me celebrating myself! It was supposed to be about all of us celebrating our successingand ignoring the rejections *g*
Come on, who else accomplished something since last Thanksgiving? I took up Pole Dancing, but have since had to give it up as I have pathetically low upper body strenght and kept falling off the pole.
what else....I taught my puppy to shake! That's fun. I'm also trying to teach her to do to the Thriller dance on command, but it's not comign along as well.
Oh, and I wrote a book! Forget that same book getting rejected, I freakin wrote it!
Hal, huge congrats on getting to the submission stage and like others have said - the rejection letters are positive!
I'm thankful I've finally starting takign this writing thing seriously and I have over 13k words done on my NaNo. No, I probabaly won't hit 50k, but 13k is the most I've ever written so I feel a huge sense of accomplishment!
I'm thankful for my hubby and his family. I love them dearly and feel like I must have done something amazing in a past life to get to marry into that family.
I can't forget to say how thankful I am for my fur-kids. They keep me company when I write, they know when I'm in a bad mood and need someone to cuddle. They just rock.
Oh - Almost forgot! While it's not a full time job, I'm thankful that my husband got a small side job writing finacial reports. Only problem is now he wants me to edit them!
Lastly I really am thankful for this blog and all you pirates. You have no idea how much you've helped kick me into gear and get writing. I really appreciate it!
Sabrina, not to pick on typos, but I assume the "fur" kids are "four." A cute image though, either way! LOL
LOL - Melissa it's actually Fur-Kids = my two dogs.
No, I think she means "fur-kids" as in the four-legged variety. None of the kids I've ever known would willingly keep me company when I was crabby and offer to cuddle. Only cats and dogs are that brave.
Children--at least the ones I've known--whisper fearfully, "Auntie Hellion is MAD. Hide!"
LOL Okay! That makes sense. :) Four kids could be too much too cuddle all at once!
Congrats Sabrina on the 13k words!! That's very exciting. Isn't it thrilling when the words just start coming and the just burst onto the page? Love it!
And I love fur-kids. I have a puppy who knew I was in a terrible mood last night and came and curled up on my lap and let me pet her (she's not usually fond of being petted).
And yeah, no kids I know are happy to be around and cuddly while I'm in a bad mood :)
This is my fur-kid Yoda sticking his little head on my knee while I was typing away.
http://www.twitpic.com/pxewx
Mostly cute, sometimes they poke their head in wanting attention. :)
Why yes, those are my super awesome sparkly flannel writer's pajamas you see in that photo!
I've tried to convince hubby they have magical powers (the twinkly thread woven into them) that makes them essential to wear ALL THE TIME for writing. :)
He's not buying it yet.
OMG. That face. Geez, Sabrina! How do you get any writin' done? I'd just be smilin' at the dog and strokin' those ears. I have a hard 'nuff time fittin' in the writin' between trips ta the dog park.
Oh, did I say that outloud? I jus' know she heard me out in the van and is now lookin' at this Starbucks...anticipation buildin'!
Ohhh, he's so cute! What a perfect writing buddy.
And I say, if they are comfy, use any excuse possible to wear them daily. I love comfy pants!
LOL - Chance he's a dead ringer for The Neverending Story dog. Hubby did a video once with the fan turned on and made him look like he was flying.
Hellion - what's funny is that for some reason real kids love me. Like even when I correct them/punish them, they somehow still really like me.
I cannot figure that one out since I'm not a mom and have NO desire to ever be one. It's like I'm the grumpy auntie they love to be around. Don't get it at all.
My sister is the biggest bitch I've ever met (and she'll tell you that so I'm not talking smack behind her back) and kids love her. I don't get it. She's the eternal spinster with the cats and kids just love her.
I like my kid, others not so much. That dog IS adorable. I came very close to buying a shirt for my cat today. If I did, I'd have to make sure the batteries were in the camera before hand so I could shoot the video of his reaction. After placing the bandages on wounds sustained trying to get it on him.
I want to buy a cute sweater or coat for our puppy. She doesn't have an undercoat like most dogs, so she shivers. She needs a coat. But the hubs has flat out refused to let me buy any of the cute pink coats I've found. He got a pit bull to look manly, and god forbid I dress her up in pink *g*
Paint her nails one day when he isn't around and see if he notices...
Get her pink with a skull & crossbones on it. A fine compromise.
Yeah, check out PirateMod...they probably have one!
Hal, I just read your "rejection" letters and my only thought is ...
Congratulatiobns! Statements such as ...Liked the premise behind the novel ... skillful ... balanced ... compelling And understated? Impressive crafting and plotting? You Clearly have a healthy career ahead of you... are probably not the sort of thing that an editor says unless they mean it. Be patient, your time will come ... soon.
Well I'm feeling bold today! ;)
But
Before I talk about me, I want to talk about you Hal...
Pink toenails *g* I love it. Her collar (black) does have skulls and crossbows!
Julie - thank you! You're right, they're very positive words!
I swear, a lady at me dogpark has this huge jet black Great Dane, named Sophie. Sophie is hilariously playful. Watchin' her and her friend, Bones, who is also a very black Great Dane, is like watchin' ponies who think they are dogs.
But...Sophie came to the dogpark with her black nails painted this vivid, vivid pink! Her mom said she was doing hers and Sophie be crashed next ta her, so she just leaned over and did them.
Looked just loverly!
Chance I have a relative that is aways painting the nails (hooves?) of her pot bellied pig. A pig with Pink toenails. Funniest thing that I've ever seen.
Now I'm going to get serious.
What am I thankful for?
The clip note version is: I am thankful for my family. And I am thankful for you.
I'd like to leave it a that, maybe I should leave it a that. But as we head into Thanksgiving I think that you writers should know how you've had an impact on many lives.
The unabridged version of What I'm Thankful for is little more ... I don't know ... descriptive words fail me when the thing I'm supposed to be describing is my life .
Like most of you, I've had a taxing year. But it seems like this last month has been a real challenge! . So I've decided to give my answer, my Real Answer to Hal's questions ... because my feeling is, if I can survive a month like this , than anyone can.
What milestones, accomplishments, goals or benchmarks have I achieved over this last year What am I thankful for?
Forget about the year, how about the things that I achieved this last month?
Accomplishment : I taught my daughter to drive a car. THANK god I never have do that again. And since I let her listen to her music while she drove, I am suffering from a serious case of Taylor Swift Overload. Yep,I taught my daughter how to drive, and then I taught her to move on ...
From my FaceBook page:
It takes A Truly Wise Woman to know when it is Appropriate to make herself look really Stupid. When the song came on and my sixteen year old (who’d recently had a breakup) quietly said "I'm a single Lady now ..." I did what any other mother would do. I tried to cheer her up. That's right people… I danced to… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mVEGfH4s5g
And yes she laughed … I just wish that she hadn’t had a friend over at the time. OMG! I forgot that she was there.
Goals: My DH got a new job. A miricle in this econimy, as there were over a 1000 canidates. Hopefully this one will be safer, although he is still working with things that have been known to go BOOM!
Milestone: I had a pleasant day on my oldest daughter's birthday. Even though she wasn't able to be there. I made a nice dinner ... bought a little cake ... my youngest daughter invited a friend over.
From my FB page: I don't mind talking about it. "It" just is, you know? We, you, everyone gave her our best.
And
It has been a long time, hasn't It? Which makes me a little sad. But then the good thing about it being "a long time" is that the bad times don't feel so bad anymore. Which means that my memories of the good times ... and there were Good times ... are even better. In case you didn't know, my oldest DD died of ALL, a form of luekemia.
Benchmark: I wrote a letter. Something that I hate to do. It was my dislike of letter writing that inspired me to start blogging.
From my FB page: I cannot say “Mission accomplished”. But I can say “I gave it my best shot”.... My thanks to all of you who have allowed me to hang out on your web site or blog. I won’t go so far as to say that I learned to be a real Writer. But I did learn to write with competence. And I did learn to write with confidence. Which is why I am sure that “my best shot” is better … Far Better than it would have EVER been had I not stumbled into the online world of Romance Lit. Thank you... Thank you, for your hospitality, your patience and your wisdom ... and of course The Books!
This was for you Pirates & the ladies at Squawk Radio.
Thankful: It was in the back seat of my son's truck. At first I didn't realize what it was for. I thought that it was just a flag ... but upon further inspection I saw that the flag was folded into a triangle so that it could fit into a wooden frame. On the frame was a brass plaque and a sticker that said "engrave solder's name here" . Who knew? My son had been given a flag to drape over his coffin ... just in case.
From an email:
My son just got released from the VA today. Remember that line in the Star Spangled Banner that goes "Bombs bursting in mid air"? Well they didn't blow quite mid air enough.
Tomorrow he goes back to his home away from home.
How do I sleep? Because I know that he is doing what needs to be done. He is Very good at keeping his guys safe. At first he turned down this mission ... but they called him up when a bunch of guys got killed. All men he knew.
Now tell me, How could I sleep knowing that more men would die ... more mothers would be mourning their sons ... because I was afraid to let my son protect them?
am Thankful, beyond measure I am thankful that I did not have to use that flag. And in case you're wondering.... that letter I wrote? It was to my son's forward command. He asked me to write to them and tell them ... that he was ready to go back. Honestly? It was one of the hardest things that I ever had to do.
Yes. Writing that letter was one of the hardest things that I ever did. I Could not have done it with out your help. Thanks to all of you for letting me practice here... Have a safe and happy Thanksgiving.
P.S. I still hate to write letters!
Oh! I forgot! Thanks for the italics Captain!
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