Tuesday, October 13, 2015

A Slap in the Face, Part 2, or: Evil Editor Strikes Again

Hi all

It's with a heavy heart that I come to you to report on the fate of my query for my MG fantasy novel, Oliver and the Underlings. See, I did it again. I sent another version of the query to Evil Editor, and, well...  here, see for yourself:

http://evileditor.blogspot.com/2015/10/feedback-request_9.html

It's times like these where I question why I'm doing this writing thing, and my sanity. Instead of making progress, I appear to be going backward. 

I've had people ask me why I just don't work on another project and put the current ones - Oliver an the Underlings and The Vanilla Wafer Chronicles - aside. To answer that question, let me provide a glimpse into my writing schedule:

Sunday - no writing time
Monday through Friday - 1 hour per day available to write
Saturday - no writing time

In that one hour per day that I have to write, I have to decide the following:
     - Do I work on something new?
     - Do I work on an existing project?
     - Do I critique something that I've promised to someone else?
     - Do I write a blog post such as this one?
     - Do I write a book review?
     - Do I read?
     - Do I take care of some other personal business that needs                  taking care of?
     - Do I do none of the above and go out for a walk or something?

Thinking about this logically, the best course of action would be to get the existing projects to a point where they're viable for publication. The rest of the options seem either insurmountable or activities that, while all necessary, noble, and/or enjoyable, take me away from my own writing. 

In addition, and with all logic aside, I have a passion for these finished books. I feel there IS something important there, even if no one else can see it because I can't seem to convey that effectively to others.

If there's anyone out there reading this blog, do you struggle with any of these issues? Are you restricted with the time you have to write? How do you decide what to do during the times you sit down at your desk? Do you finish current projects first before starting something new? What do you do when a query is just not hitting any marks? Is there somewhere you go to for help? Do you shelf it and start something else?

Feel free to chime in with any advice in the comments.

2 comments:

  1. Oh, I can relate to so much of this. To answer your questions:

    Are you restricted with the time you have to write? Yep, always.

    How do you decide what to do during the times you sit down at your desk? I started to focus on my how to write books and classes because that's what people were most interested. I actually set aside my fiction for a season because it was a distraction to my other goals.

    Do you finish current projects first before starting something new? Um, nope. But I really, really should. I usually quit at 50% for one reason or another. I have about 6-8 unfinished WIPS in my computer. I know, I know...

    What do you do when a query is just not hitting any marks? Self publish. :)

    Is there somewhere you go to for help? Do you shelf it and start something else? I would definitely shelve it, take a class, read a book on craft and start new and fresh with something you're passionate about. You might come back to your WIP and find you have gained new insight and are a better writer and story teller.

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  2. Hi Gina. Thanks for responding! It's nice to hear that I'm not alone with some of the issues I face.

    I've decided to do exactly what you said above: shelf everything and work on fresh ideas for this year. Also, I'm doing more learning this year. I attended a free webinar that had some good info, and I'm finally going back to my local SCBWI conference after having been away from it for a couple years.

    As for self publishing, I don't know, maybe I'm just stubborn, but I have this dream of being traditionally published, and until I meet that goal, I can't consider anything else. I may change my mind someday, but for now, that's still how I feel. It's definitely nothing against those that do self publish. It's just not for me at this time.

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