Wednesday, June 3, 2015

#IWSG June 2015: So When Shall it Be?

I’m here to join another group posting for Alex Cavanaugh’s IWSG. Thanks to him and the co-hosts for this month (M. Pax, Tracy Jo, Patricia Lynne, Rachna Chhabria, Feather Stone and Randi Lee), lovers of the written word (like me) have a special place to go home to each month on the blogosphere.

What shall I share with you today? Hmmm… Lemme see.


Here’s My IWSG Post



Outside, the sweltering heat makes my skin scream in agony whenever I step out for a short break. Gosh, who could walk unprotected in this weather? I think my skin’s a few shades darker now. :-)

OK. That's not it. What I really want to say is that (in a few days it would be my birthday. No, not that one, too, but) I still don’t know when I’ll have the revised contract to sign. You see, at my post last month, I’ve inserted an update on a meeting with the publisher who accepted my manuscript. What happened? The meeting went well. The publisher, the editor and the whole staff were really nice and accommodating. With regards to the contract, negotiations are still being done up to now.

Photo Credit Link: Stephen Hampshire on Flickr

Why am I sharing this? What does that mean for you? Well, to those who are submitting manuscripts for the first time, this is another waiting period that you have to go thru. This means that after waiting for months for a publisher’s reply regarding the status of your manuscript (whether it would be accepted or rejected), you have to wait again when it is accepted and will be prepared for publication. You see, from negotiations and the signing of contracts up to the day the book would be published, the process may take months or years—depending on the publisher and their workload, or what you and the publisher have negotiated on.  

While waiting, it’s easy for anxiety to step in unnoticed. That constant nagging of “So when shall it be (out/published)?”—by your mind or by people who couldn’t wait to read your work—can set your worry meter on high.

Yup. That's right. I went through that. But I’m not willing to stay there in that downer anymore, especially since a recurrent illness (that has been ongoing for a couple of weeks now) hasn’t completely left me yet.

What did I do to shake the not-so-good feeling off and change focus? Water is a refreshing, instant cure so I made myself ice-cold drinks and had a long, invigorating bath. (That would be perfect if the weather in your country is the same as mine right now.) I also revisited old works of mine. This last one’s the best distraction so far because it takes your mind off of things, and it makes you see the strength of your works that you haven’t sent yet, or you may have sent before and it got rejected for the first time. I do believe that old works have potential and can be publishable with a little tweaking here and here. So, don’t ever throw your old works! You can still use them.


If you’re in the same boat or have sailed through this murky sea of anxiety as I have, I hope you’re safe on land now, completely dry and blissfully content with how things are going with you. If not, well then, here’s a virtual *HUG* for you. Off to visit some blogs now before I take my meds. I sure hope the month of June finds you well. I’ll see you next post.

21 comments:

Crystal Collier said...

Oh boy... Here's wishing you better shortly. I do not envy you that place. It's been a little while since I was in it, as I'm now in the meet-your-flipping-deadlines-already phase.

M Pax said...

Hope your illness is soon gone. Happy Birthday! Hope the contract is settled soon. I'm glad it's not that hot here yet.

Jennifer Hawes said...

Happy Birthday! My daughter's b-day is tomorrow:) There is so much waiting in writing. My first contract and publication date moved pretty fast. My publisher actually advanced my release date up by 4 months which meant a lot of extra work. But it was worth it. Now I'm trying to get an agent for my other books and the waiting is the hardest part!!

L. Diane Wolfe said...

Happy birthday!

It's a long wait, but it gives you time to prepare for promoting your book when it is released.

Sue Starlight said...

I don't envy you the waiting, Cates, but I hope to be there with you to experience it myself. Thanks for the warning! Going through your older writing sounds like an excellent use of all that time. Have you also started on at least one new project?

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Waiting is tough, but it gives you time to write something else. Hope the final contract is signed soon.
And happy birthday early!

SittieCates said...

@Jennifer Hawes: Thanks for the greeting, Jennifer! Happy birthday to your daughter! I hope her special day would be really, really wonderful!

Lucky for you the first contract and publication date moved quickly.

Good luck with finding an agent. I haven't tried that route yet, but I'm considering it.

@L. Diane Wolfe: Thanks!

I'll bear that in mind. Thanks. Will do some preparations.

@Sue Starlight: Thank you, Sue! I wish you were here, too. I didn't realize it would be like this.

Projects? Oh yeah. I have one that will be sent soon to another publisher. It's a novel of over 80,000 words. I'm aiming to send that within the month so I'm pretty busy rewriting it and checking errors for that one. You see, this is one of my old ones. :-)

Another one (a novel for middle graders) has been sent to a contest overseas, and I'm waiting for the results for that one. Speaking of contests, two short stories are also out in another contest here in the country. Win or lose, I'm glad I joined 'em.

So far, that's it, sue. But I've got lots of old stories and new drafts, and I'm still thinking of what to do with 'em. :-) Gosh! I really wish you're here. Hope all's well with you.

Oops! This is a long reply. LOL! Hope you like long replies.

@Alex J Cavanaugh: I hope so, too, Alex. And thank you for the advance birthday greeting!

Rachna Chhabria said...

Hope you feel better soon. I agree about the long wait, to get a reply, to get a contract with a publisher and then wait to see the book in print. Writing life is all about waiting.

Rachna Chhabria
Co-host IWSG
Rachna's Scriptorium

Pat Hatt said...

Waiting is always a pain in the butt, but always something else to do. good way to beat the heat too

Chrys Fey said...

Happy Birthday!!! :D

Waiting is the worst. Hang in there! And feel better soon.

Beverly Stowe McClure said...

Good luck on the contract. Waiting is tough, but think positive. I'm waiting for an acceptance, or the other, on a story. Also waiting on a cover for another story that should be out soon. You know how soon that means. :) Time creeps along so slowly.
Happy birthday to you. Hope you're feeling better.

Anonymous said...

Ugh. The waiting. I don't know how some writers can handle that with publishers. I would be bouncing off the walls. I hope you hear news soon and keep your sanity until then. =)

~Patricia Lynne aka Patricia Josephine~
Story Dam
Patricia Lynne, Indie Author

Michael Di Gesu said...

Happy Birthday!!!! I hope you were/are well enough to enjoy some of the festivities...

Waiting SUCKS.... I am currently waiting for a response from an agent to whom I had submitted my full manuscript. UGG... This was back in March!!!!! I had met her at a conference and she FLIPPED over my first ten pages... then NOTHING....

I guess it's par for the course. Thanks for sharing you misery. At least now I know this is the beginning of a REALLY LONG WAIT....

Stay cool... I wish I could send some of our 50 degree weather of to you! Chicago is in a cold fog today and frankly I'd relish some of the 90 degree heat!

Hope you enjoy your weekend!

Mary Aalgaard said...

Waiting is hard. Distract yourself. Work on a new project. Sit under the fan! Here in Minnesota, it's still fairly cool. Walks are also good, as well as talks with friends.
Play off the Page

dolorah said...

Patience is not easy. At least you have something to distract you and make the time easier.

Michelle Wallace said...

Happy Birthday, Sittie! I hope you had a wonderful day!
Have fun revisiting those old stories... you never know what new ideas may spring forth.

Joylene Nowell Butler said...

In the olden days, sometimes it would be 6 months before I'd get my rejection. LOL. Now they don't even bother responding unless they want to see more. We have to be a tough bunch to do what we do.

Joylene Nowell Butler said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Aileen said...

Hi sis! I texted you on your birthday. Am not sure it got through. Anyway, belated happy birthday! Miss you! :-)

cleemckenzie said...

Great time of year to celebrate a birthday! As to anxiety, there are so many of us in that sea, you'll never be lonely. :-)

Chemist Ken said...

So much of a writer's life seems to be about waiting. Happy upcoming birthday. Sorry it's so hot during that time. Mine's in the fall, the best time of the year in my opinion.

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The Musings of a Hopeful Pecunious Wordsmith by SittieCates is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.