Well my lovely supporters, I have now joined the ranks of the Partial Request Rejects Club. Friday, I received a form rejection letter from the agent who asked to see sample chapters. I was bummed, of course. Not only to get a rejection, but a form rejection at that. I was hoping for some type of helpful rejection. I know that agents are incredibly busy, but just a paragraph, a snippet, even a single sentence. “Dialogue needs work” “Not enough showing,” something. Unless my MS is just so bad that they cannot bare to say “It sucks, quit now.” I’m sure that they could come up with a single sentence to give me something to go on. How is one to improve if they don’t know what’s wrong?
I threw myself a mini-pity party on Friday. I ate too much pizza and watched a chic flick that made me cry while my hubby was out with friends then attempted to do that whole ‘sleeping’ thing. Saturday I went back to work on the new novel. It’s easy to sit and sulk, feeling bad for myself and racking my brain trying to figure out what might be wrong with the MS. But without any type of feedback from the agent, I can only go off of the feedback I have already received. Which after my last revision, has all been good feedback. Beta readers, critique groups and the like, the big things a writer looks to when an agent won’t give a morsel of advice. I am not much for sulking, I let myself feel bad for a day, and then it’s back to work. Pouting will do nothing for me or my career. It won’t fix my MS, won’t improve my writing, won’t magically give me an agent that loves my work. Only working will do that. So I went back to work.
I’m only human, so I’m still bummed. There’s that little voice urging me to rip apart my MS again to see what could be changed. But I’m not going to. Not yet anyway. I haven’t stepped away from it for that long, I won’t have fresh eyes, and you shouldn’t revise when you have lingering doubt. It becomes too easy to shred your novel, changing it all when perhaps it only needed minor changes. Then you’re left with a bigger mess, because you’ve ruined what was good. So for now, I will keep querying/researching other agents and work on the new novel. If/when I do finally get some feedback to go off of from an agent, then I’ll take another look at the MS. Or when it has been sitting on the shelf long enough for me to have fresh eyes. When I don’t remember what happens in every chapter, when I can’t remember the majority of it by heart. When you have spent so much time revising it as I have, I couldn’t possibly see it with fresh eyes right now.
The only way to improve is to keep reading, keep writing, keep working. So that’s my plan. Until I start getting replies from agents that my work is terrible, only then will I consider the idea that maybe writing should simply be a hobby. And that’s only considering it, I think it would take much more than that to convince me of it. I have read some down right terrible books from authors who continue to get published. If they could manage to find someone who saw promise in their writing, then I’m sure I will too. Everything happens in its own time, not when you want it to happen, but when it wants to happen. So I just have to get through the ride until then, and keep working while I wait. Perhaps next time, I’ll get helpful feedback and have something to go on. Regardless, I am still glad that my query is doing its job and cracking some doors open for me. Now, I just need to find a way to jam my foot in before they shut it. It’s all in a days work, right? What do you guys do when an agent pops your excitement bubble, and sends you that rejection? What’s your pity party, or next plan of attack?
Been there. Stopping by from SW and following.
ReplyDeleteI hate rejection, but it does make us stronger?
My last rejection was from Love Inspired and it devestated me and I stopped writing for awhile, but that was the wrong thing for me to do, so I write, get rejected but one day my novel will hit the big time.
We've all been there, at some stage, even mainstream published novelists. What you write here about being determined to carry on is the best - and only - thing you can do.
ReplyDeleteRemember there are many reasons why an agent or publisher will say no, some of them nothing to do with whether the work is good or not. It might be that it's too similar to something they already have on their list - or it's just not similar enough. The decision might be coloured by a recent conversation with someone else in the business that's only an opinion. They might just feel they don't have quite the right editorial contacts to make this one work. You get the idea. Now you just keep going.
Followed you from SheWrites.
Hi Debra,
ReplyDeleteThanks for following and commenting, I really love reading comments! I'm sure once I get a rejection from a full MS request, I'll throw myself a bit bigger of a pity party. But you're right to keep the positive attitude after, just keep working at it. It seems to be those of us too persistent (maybe stubborn lol) too stop trying that make do it. So when you're novel gets there, let me know and I'll pick up a copy : )
I liked this post. "Licking your wounds" is a good reaction...a good chick flick makes me feel better too. Keep writing...keep writing...I look forward to reading your novel. Best of luck.
ReplyDeleteThank you! Yes, I always take a day to put my Curious George band-aid on, then get back to work. It will pay off someday, I'm just going to get some stock in band-aids for the ride!
ReplyDeleteOh that sucks :( BUT as long as you keep at it, you'll have success. And hey, at least you got your foot in the door ;)
ReplyDeleteGood luck, darlin
Yup, just have to jam my foot in a little harder next time :)
ReplyDeleteI think you're doing the absolute right thing: keep reading, keep writing, keep working. That's the wonderful thing about starting a new WIP - they can be great distractions!
ReplyDeleteI allow myself a few short moments to wallow in it... then I turn my frown upside down and get up and get going.... on something (can you tell I'm a mom, too?). :-)
ReplyDeleteI'm also a new follower from SheWrites. Come check out my blog, http://wearnailpolish.blogspot.com
Hi Darien,
ReplyDeleteI met you on query critiue on SheWrites. I too have been rejected by agents. And although I haven't given up, I've decide to go another direction. I love my story and refuse to spin my wheels trying to get published by a big publisher. I am going Indie and I am having fun again. It is much easier than I thought it was going to be and I'm in charge of my own destiny. Plus, I like the idea of the public deciding if my book is any good not a small group of agents.
How exciting Debra! I've just sent you a message on SW, bravo to you for taking fate into your own hands!
ReplyDeleteI know the feeling. Partial rejects are sooo much worse, because the whole time you're getting query rejects you're telling yourself, "So I can't write a query letter. If they'd only see my WRITING, they'd understand how GOOD my story is!" But then they don't like your writing, for whatever reason, and it's like getting your first form rejection all over again.
ReplyDeleteIt may mean nothing - agents are jaded and unhappy creatures who demand sparkles and fireworks from the getgo and if they have a headache that day you may be screwed no matter how sawesome your MS is --- or, if you feel there's really something wrong with your MS, try to find another Beta or send the first five pages through the wringer again via the forums. I've had to rethink my entire first three chapters (many, many times) and thankfully there are lots of wonderful people out there who are willing to help.
I just wanted to add my supportive words here. I applaud you for downing your pizza, having a few tears, and getting back to work. That is all we can do.
ReplyDeleteIf you read how many times really successful writers were rejected in the beginning, it helps put some of this into perspective. Keep going.