How do you deal with the wait?

Hi. Original poster here. I haven't given up, despite a period of intense discouragement. I'm up in the 400s on queries, believe it or not.

Jamesaritchie said:

Don't wait, write. Forget your first project even exists.

Click to expand...

That's what I try to do - put it out of my mind. Check your email once a day, because requests for more can be anywhere from a couple of hours to several months, but try to limit yourself.

In the meantime, OP, make sure your query letter is the best it can be, scour twitter, etc. for more agents to query, and query them too if you can't concentrate on the next project just yet.

I just assume the waiting will be eternal. I've never been wrong.

caw

Sorry, Noranne. I wasn't the OP. I got mixed up.

I have 9 queries out in the wild. It's only been 3 days so I am in for a long wait, and I admit that I am a very impatient person. I have already started sketching out my next one, and I'm very excited about it, but I can't spend every minute working on it. (For one thing, I'm supposed to also be trying to find a job right now, which is a very similarly frustrating ballgame!)

Click to expand...

Run. Set yourself a goal in terms of running, and work towards it. It's free (aside from the shoes) and it's a good way to get yourself an hour or so a day when you're not thinking about your QLs.

If you already run, run further or faster. But get out of your home and away from the computer and run. It'll help with everything.

Verlin said:

Hi. Original poster here. I haven't given up, despite a period of intense discouragement. I'm up in the 400s on queries, believe it or not.

Click to expand...

You might want to have a word with triceratops. He got his agent at around the 420 mark.

Never give up!

Jamesaritchie said:

Don't wait, write. Forget your first project even exists.

Click to expand...

This is excellent advice!

Thinking of that project doesn't help you at all, but I guess OP knows that, it's just difficult to really act like that.

Let's see it this way: Most of your submissions will be rejcted anyway, far more than will be accepted, even under the most positive of circumstances. So you might as well just expect a rejection. Just get it into your mind that all your submissions will be rejected - but also, that that's not really a problem, because your self-worth doesn't (shouldn't!) depend on it and you will live on to submit again another day.

Then, if the submissions really are rejected - no prob, you had already expected that, plus you haven't lost any time procrastinating and wondering in nagging fear and anticipation. No big deal!

But if it's a "Yes" - how much bigger will your joy be?

It's win/win: Expect the worst, and don't hope for the best, ha ha!

Hope this helps.

whiporee said:

Run. Set yourself a goal in terms of running, and work towards it. It's free (aside from the shoes) and it's a good way to get yourself an hour or so a day when you're not thinking about your QLs.

If you already run, run further or faster. But get out of your home and away from the computer and run. It'll help with everything.

Click to expand...

I second this. I am the world's wimpiest runner in terms of goal setting and will probably never even do a 5k, but just getting out there helps. And the NYT says just five minutes of running a day will help you live longer!

I can't lie, sometimes I had problems agonizing over rejections while I was running, since my mind wasn't filled with other stuff. Then I discovered podcasts. I only allow myself to listen to my favorite ones when I run, and it's a special little world I escape to.

Now I can focus on waiting for the next "Welcome to Night Vale" instead of the next email from my agent. Admittedly it doesn't always work...