Exciting Times + July Goals

OK. So I’m actually really excited about a few things.

1. John and I are collaborating again
2. An editor is interested in seeing the completed manuscript for one of my picture books
3. I got 3 more rejections (totaling 8 for the year)
4. I’ve decided to do a semi-regular book giveaway (starting this month)

1. A few weeks ago, John and I attended an SCBWI workshop. It was great to get out together for the day sans children. Thank you in-laws! I will be writing a separate post specifically about the conference, but we learned a lot and were inspired. It’s been awhile since John and I have tried to work together on a project, but we received some positive feedback, and so we’re going to give it another go. Hooray!

2. At the conference, attendees had the option of having the 1st page of their manuscripts anonymously critiqued in front of the group. While there were a few things mentioned that could make my manuscript stronger, overall the feedback was good.

Afterwords, John and I were speaking with an editor and John mentioned that my manuscript was the dinosaur one. The editor said he thought it was great and to go ahead and send it his way. Now, I honestly do not think anything will come of it—the editor is mostly looking for chapter books, not picture books--but it was flattering all the same.

3. I got 3 more for the rejection pile. While it is always a tiny bit disappointing, I also take a lot of encouragement from them. I now have 8 rejections under my belt this year. That’s over 1 a month! And you know what that means? It means I am writing and I am submitting my work. I can’t control when something will be accepted, but by writing, submitting, and receiving feedback, I will get better.

4. I am a devout library patron. I love books, but I do not buy many books for two main reasons. 1. I read so much that I would be broke if I bought every book I read. 2. I rarely reread books so they would just line my walls. But I would love to show more support for the authors and books I enjoy. So, I have decided that I would like to do a regular book giveaway. I’ll pick a book that I have recently enjoyed, and then I’ll send it off to whoever wins the giveaway. Look for more details in the coming days. The inaugural book is a great one. I can’t wait to share it.

June Goals Review:

• Go to writing conference
• Get draft of picture book done before conference
• Have final draft done by end of month (nope)
• Write 3 poems for an instagram poetry competition (not even close)
• Get caught up on my reading goal (still happy-I read 6 books, taking the deficit from 4 to 2)

July Goals:

• Finish final draft of Madam Fang and submit it
• Write 2 instagram poems
• Write book review
• Run book giveaway
• Daydream more about potential story ideas
• Finish 5 books

February Update

February has been a good writing month despite the last week being a bit emotionally rocky. I don’t know if it’s postpartum, or just my normal ups and downs, but I’ve been a bit rough, and that’s okay.

Overall, I am super happy with my progress. I am slowly finding ways to make time to get my butt in the chair and write. Mostly, this is between the hours of 10:30PM-3:30AM. It's slow going, but I am improving.

Here are a few things I was able to accomplish this past month:

• Wrote and submitted 3 poems 
• Received 2 rejections
• Posted on the blog each week
• Attended my online critique group
• Read 1 book
• Wrote a flash fiction piece

And here are my goals for the upcoming month:

• Polish my picture book manuscript
• Read 4 books
• Post every week on the blog
• Submit 3 pieces of work

The Sweet Reception of Rejection

So it is official! I have heard back from two publishing houses thus far (David Fickling Books and Boyds Mills Press). Drum roll please.....both form rejections! If it seems like I am excited, it is because I am. Is it a bummer to be rejected? Sort of. But in all honesty, it just feels good to know that my work is being read by editors, even if its not their cup of tea.  I am actually proud of myself for getting my stuff out there.

And, besides, there's still hope. I still have 9 more publishers to hear from. If I would have started this process a few years ago, I probably would have been a bit more sad with these form rejections. Fortunately, I found Jane Yolen's website where she keeps a loose journal of her happenings.  If you do not know much about Jane Yolen, I can tell you that she is amazing. She has over 300 books published to her name, and has been called the Hans Christian Anderson of the USA. I really enjoy reading the things she posts because I think it's great insight into the normal life of a great writer. Something that really struck me is how often she receives rejections on books and proposals. After awhile I came to realize that rejection is just part of the game that helps develop thick skin. And I can always use thicker skin.

So bring on those rejections!

Facing the Fear of Rejection

Well, I finally did it. After prodding and poking my Sam the Bedlamite manuscript, I decided it was time to get it out there. By "out there" I mean submitting it to the publishers, 12 in total. I researched a bunch about all the publishing houses, and I hope that at least one of the 12 is a good fit for my little picture book. But I'll have to wait and see. This is my first time around the block, after all. I've decided to pretty much forget that I sent it off, and then be surprised and excited to hear back, if that happens.

So far, the whole forgetting that I send the book out is going pretty well. But that may be that it has only be a few short weeks. I mean, I know that the envelope needs to get to the publisher (3-5 days), get sorted (another 3-5) and then sit on the slush pile for who knows how long. So yeah, its pretty easy to stay cool about it right now. Ask me how many times I am checking the mail box each day in about 3 months.

Surprisingly, I feel a greater desire to get my butt in the chair to write now that I have a story floating in (and hopefully to the top of) the slush piles. I guess finally facing the fear and anxiety of rejection has made it a little easier to start getting my other not-so-perfect stories out. Don't get me wrong--I'm not looking forward to being rejected--and rejected I will be--but at least I'm giving myself the change to be rejected. Three cheers for fear facing!