i hate myself -ok, maybe a little dramatic-

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JackieS

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But really, I am hating on myself hard. I sent out queries before I was ready. Of course I tthought I was ready. If only I hadfound this forum a few weeks earlier. I ended up getting a PR, but ruined my chances as my manuscript was in need of a redraft. Yes, I know it's hard for a writer to see problems in their own work. Yes, I know to put it away for a month and then edit.

So I guess I am posting this in search of empathy, but also to warn... make sure you have had another set of HONEST eyes go over your work. Apparently I know a bunch of cowards ;) as nobody had the balls to tell me my book sucks as it stands. Thank goodness for this place, where I met a brilliant person that wasn't afraid to lay it on me.
 

Mamitt

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But really, I am hating on myself hard. I sent out queries before I was ready. Of course I tthought I was ready. If only I hadfound this forum a few weeks earlier. I ended up getting a PR, but ruined my chances as my manuscript was in need of a redraft. Yes, I know it's hard for a writer to see problems in their own work. Yes, I know to put it away for a month and then edit.

So I guess I am posting this in search of empathy, but also to warn... make sure you have had another set of HONEST eyes go over your work. Apparently I know a bunch of cowards ;) as nobody had the balls to tell me my book sucks as it stands. Thank goodness for this place, where I met a brilliant person that wasn't afraid to lay it on me.

I so know what you mean! Me too thought I knew what I was doing, but this place has set me straight(er) and I imagine it will continue to do so. Good luck!
 
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Mike Lynch

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Jackie, don't be so hard on yourself. All writers get rejection letters. And I mean ALL. Myself included. It took me two years of sending out query letters, receiving the inevitable rejection letters, before I found a publisher willing to take a chance on me. Jack London received 300 rejection letters before he published his first book. I'm told even JK Rowling received 30 rejection letters before someone took a chance on her first novel.

Whenever a publisher gives you specific criticism of your work, treat it like gold. They know what to look for in terms of writing, and their trained eyes zero in on what's wrong. Now you have the opportunity to fix it.

In regards to people you've sent your story to not having the courage to tell you the truth, it may be they don't know have a trained eye like an editor. Yes, many of them are most likely sparing your feelings, though because they are usually family and friends, they will like whatever you do because you wrote it. To really clean up your story, you need to have an experienced writer go through your work, pointing out traps we writers all fall into. Then you fix them. That is what happened to me. That's why it took me two years to get my first novel published. On average, it takes a writer six years before they get that coveted "yes."

Am I a better writer now than when I started? Definitely. Am I where I want to be as a writer? Definitely not, and probably never will. There's always something new to learn. How did I get better? When people told me where I fell short. So be encouraged, and start revising your story. And remember, you may get 99 nos from publishers, but it only takes 1 yes to make it happen.
 

Jamesaritchie

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Jackie, don't be so hard on yourself. All writers get rejection letters. And I mean ALL. Myself included. It took me two years of sending out query letters, receiving the inevitable rejection letters, before I found a publisher willing to take a chance on me. Jack London received 300 rejection letters before he published his first book. I'm told even JK Rowling received 30 rejection letters before someone took a chance on her first novel.

Whenever a publisher gives you specific criticism of your work, treat it like gold. They know what to look for in terms of writing, and their trained eyes zero in on what's wrong. Now you have the opportunity to fix it.

In regards to people you've sent your story to not having the courage to tell you the truth, it may be they don't know have a trained eye like an editor. Yes, many of them are most likely sparing your feelings, though because they are usually family and friends, they will like whatever you do because you wrote it. To really clean up your story, you need to have an experienced writer go through your work, pointing out traps we writers all fall into. Then you fix them. That is what happened to me. That's why it took me two years to get my first novel published. On average, it takes a writer six years before they get that coveted "yes."

Am I a better writer now than when I started? Definitely. Am I where I want to be as a writer? Definitely not, and probably never will. There's always something new to learn. How did I get better? When people told me where I fell short. So be encouraged, and start revising your story. And remember, you may get 99 nos from publishers, but it only takes 1 yes to make it happen.

I wish I could remember who it was, but I can't. Anyway, I remember a well-known writer telling me he had never received a rejection slip. Now, I know this occasionally happens with novelists, but this guy wrote short stories, articles, and other things, in addition to novels. I didn't know whethe rto beive him or not. If I can pull his name out of my rusty old brain, I think I'll check and see if he still says this.
 

Fruitbat

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My best guess is we all stumble like that, it's part of the learning. Of course we have to learn the hard way. I'm not sure why but it just seems to be the way the hotdog stands!
 

Drachen Jager

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It's your first novel. That's when you're supposed to make mistakes.

Worry about getting everything right when you're on your fourth or fifth novel. You still won't, but at least you should have ironed out most of your biggest mistakes.
 

Jamesaritchie

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I'll disagree with the others just a little bit. You've made mistakes. It happens. All you can do is move on and try not to make more.

But some writers get far, far fewer rejections than others, and mistakes do cause rejections. The time to worry abut mistakes is the moment you start writing, not somewhere down the line.

There's nothing wrong with beating up on yourself when you have it coming Doing so is probably the best way to avoid mistakes in the future.
Beat the crap out of yourself, and then start over. This time, do everything possible to avoid more mistakes.
 

Undercover

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I don't think you should focus on avoiding mistakes. Just focus on getting better. It happens to everyone. No one's perfect. It's a learning process. God knows I've made tons of mistakes. The trick is to keep going and not let it bother you too much. I'm going to say, don't beat yourself up too much. If you do, it might even cause you to give up and that just plain sucks if you do.
 

mayqueen

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I think it's important to acknowledge your mistakes, but do not beat yourself up (too long) over them. There's no point. You can't change the past. But you can figure out what you could do differently. I learn a little more each day about the craft of writing and the business of publishing, and I apply that to current projects. I have unsuccessfully queried three novels. I'm currently revising my very first novel (on several agents' suggestions) with everything I've learned along the way. I queried it too early, it had too many "throat clearing" scenes, it didn't have stakes or really a plot... But I'm learning! It is really, really tempting to just wallow in self-pity or spend your time tearing yourself apart. Give yourself a little space to do that to get it out of your system. And then move on.
 

Amy Writes

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I agree - let out your frustration, forgive yourself and move on. Hopefully you didn´t run through your whole query list at once, so you can fix your manuscript and try again.
 

Cochinay

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I agree - let out your frustration, forgive yourself and move on. Hopefully you didn´t run through your whole query list at once, so you can fix your manuscript and try again.

The whole query list can be a few hundred agents depending upon genre, so I'd hope that's not the case for many of us. I'd hate to think that a bunch of query and PR misses could permanently damn a good novel.

Somehow, the message should get through.

It can't all be luck, the magic touch and that great hook line. You should feel badly about a premature, poor submission. Feeling bad will cause you to improve and perform much better.

So says a rank amateur--at this game anyway.
 
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