Today is P-Day for the A-Z Challenge. I'm taking a little break from the Happy Acres crew, today. There are only two tales left to tell - Simon and Artie - and I need to ruminate over those for another day or so.I wanted to talk about perseverance and pluck today because I'm trying to summon them myself. All writers get to the point where they're just so frustrated they want to give up, right? Especially once we've started querying, because at that point we think we have a perfect shiny manuscript and it's depressing when the first agent you query doesn't jump up and down and *squee* with delight, shoving a contract in your face and begging for the right to represent you.
A friend of mine just had her memoir accepted for publication at a small press after (get this) 39 rejections from agents and larger presses. This woman is a brilliant writer and her memoir is amazing. And she still got 39 rejections. And here I am feeling down in the dumps because I've received fewer than 10 rejections from agents I've queried for my paranormal romance.
So here I am summoning perseverance - the drive to continue polishing and revising my manuscript (because nothing is ever perfect), and pluck so I don't lose patience and slide into the doldrums. I figure, as long as I learn from any comments I receive from agents and/or contest judges, and I'm able to make my manuscript better because of it, then at some point an agent is bound to *squee* for me!
How about you?
6 comments:
Yes perseverance is a big one, without it very little gets done.
Your optimism and perseverance are inspirational. I sometimes think the publishing world is in such chaos agents don't know what to to accept.
Probably one of the most important skills in becoming a writer. Rejection is tough!!!
As much as I hate to say, rejection is character building and I think those who persevere are the ones who make things happen.
I love your story about zombies and burger king. Mia's enthusiasm and energy is fantastic. My son Zared, loves anything zombie related, I think he would really enjoy this story. It's funny and clever, I'd love to see where it all goes.
Yes! Every literary agent out there will tell you perseverance is everything. No matter how polished your ms, it's not going to appeal to all readers. That's why it is so important to keep querying. Writing is important, tenacity is imperative.
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