Thursday, 11 February 2010

When I had my head stuck in the oven earlier (it's ok, we don't have gas here), my mind started wandering to one of my favourite places, the - Things I'll Do/ Buy If I Get Published -list. I try to keep it realistic (three hour lunch with friends seems reasonable, doesn't it?) and allow myself the luxury of pretending that any advance wouldn't really go on the mortgage. So, today, to the lunch, the boots and the electric grand piano (ahhhh, I have seen the one, the lady in the music shop knows the deal, trust me, she's as keen for me to get my book published as I am...) I added a, wait for it: whole house clean.

I know, I know it's so boring and yet...just imagine, in addition to the twenty minutes of sparkliness I'd get to enjoy before my lovely, busy, tidiness-not-at-the-top-of-their-priority-list family descended, I'd get days, nay, goddamnit a week of blissful luxury beforehand knowing that a team of fairy godmothers were going to fly in and SORT IT OUT. Meanwhile, as they scrubbed and guffawed in astonishment that 'people could really live like that', please take a moment to picture me, lunching with friends, arranging delivery of the piano... OHMIWORD right, that's it, off to edit...

Happy scribbling fellow writers. Have a great day people with proper jobs ;-)

Bytheway what's on your 'When I (insert topic), I Will...' list?
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12 comments:

  1. Kate Allison11 February 2010 at 12:51

    I will be heading straight to the BMW dealer to put down a deposit on a red Mini Cooper. Or perhaps it would be better invested in orthodontistry training fees for our children, seeing as the guy who fits our kids' braces drives a Bentley.

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  2. Jackie Buxton11 February 2010 at 22:46

    Ha ha :-) but you know, the orthodontistry would be sensible and you're not allowed sensible things on your wish list so I'm putting you down for the Mini Cooper.

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  3. K M Kelly12 February 2010 at 13:58

    Ah, the good old submission process - I'm right there with you on that one! Have you had any positive responses yet?

    As for me - I think I'll have to buy a boat - nothing modest of course :-)

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  4. Jaxbee12 February 2010 at 23:24

    Hi Kate, nice to see you here! And yes, a boat is frivelous enough to be added to the list.

    Submissions... hmmm... I had a rejection yesterday which means I have two outstanding. I had another last week which was for the full manuscript on a sixty day exclusive and I had got myself a bit excited about that but alas, it wasn't to be. I'm not too despondent though, I've only really just started and I think it must be on the right lines at least for some readers if they ask for the full.

    How are you getting on?

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  5. Jaxbee12 February 2010 at 23:26

    Oooops, I think I meant frivilous. I'm so dardned sensible you see, frivilous is not a word I write often... ;-)

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  6. Floot13 February 2010 at 13:53

    Frivolous!

    What a contrary mistress is the English language!

    Being at the stage of sending out is already a good place to be - rejection letters as a badge of pride that at least you're out there and doing it. I'm cheering you on, if from a loooong way behind ;)

    Have you had just pro forma letters or any helpful comments yet?

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  7. Jaxbee14 February 2010 at 02:58

    Frivolous, oh dear, dear! I knew it looked wrong... it was late, that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it :-)

    Actually, I have had some 'interesting' responses. 'Accomplished writing but not something I feel I could sell in the current market,' was a fairly soft blow, 'idea good, writing very good, don't like the ending.' Honestly! That's how it was written, in an email, I didn't know whether to laugh or cry! And my favourite, 'I've thought long and hard about this and although it's so much better than the usual stuff in my slush pile, I just don't love it enough to take it further.'

    It's turning them from friends into lovers which is the tricky bit.

    How are you getting on, close to submitting? We have to have rejections to become proper writers, somebody told me today! Writers don't sleep though, I've got that badge...

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  8. Floot14 February 2010 at 03:14

    'Accomplished writing but not something I feel I could sell in the current market,' was a fairly soft blow

    Lots better than a pro forma letter...

    'idea good, writing very good, don't like the ending.' Honestly! That's how it was written, in an email, I didn't know whether to laugh or cry!

    Laugh! If it's only the ending that agent didn't like then you're on to something - let's face it, how a story ends is a matter of opinion. Having a good idea and 'very good' writing? Excellent.

    And my favourite, 'I've thought long and hard about this and although it's so much better than the usual stuff in my slush pile, I just don't love it enough to take it further.'

    For what it's worth - I can't find the damn post (of course! isn't that always the way!) but I actually read an agent's post about exactly this scenario in the last couple of days.

    She commented that an agent frequently has to fight battle after battle to get a publisher to take a book - has to convince them it's marketable, has to convince them it'll make a profit. The agent might have to go to half a dozen publishers, or more, to get interest for the book - she will face the same uphill battle that the author has had in getting the agent in the first place.

    She said that when she returns a book and says "Liked it, didn't love it" that is exactly what she means. Some agents feel able to fight to the end for a book they don't especially love even if they feel it is good, others feel they need to passionately love a book to be able to fight for its right to get published.

    So yeah... I wish I could find the post! But for what it's worth, she was adamant that when she said that, it was exactly what she meant.

    You've obviously had requests for the MS and personal rejections - that is pretty good going :) be encouraged!

    Rejections letters, definitely a badge of honour *grin*

    I need to actually complete a novel before I can start submitting it *laughs* I'm not good at the big picture, and I tend to flounder a bit once initial steam has worn off. I have two books in need of serious working on and finishing off, one in the early planning stages that I am doing as part of Lazette Gifford's Two Year Novel course, one that is a good deal more complete in my book than it is on paper (on paper it's only a few K!), and a hutch full of plot bunnies waiting to be unleashed.

    One of my unfinished pair has just come back from a friendly beta with a whole bunch of helpful questions, so if I can cudgel my poor tired brain into action then... well, we'll see *laughs* revisions and editing and all that await. And then finally I may get to the stage of collecting my rejection letters... :)

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  9. Jackie Buxton15 February 2010 at 01:03

    Ahhh thank you Floot for that lovely, uplifting response. I shall keep it close to hand for those dark moments in the submission process :-)

    It sounds like you have loads going on, nothing to worry about there! The novel course sounds interesting and having two stories on the go is very impressive. Have you tried writing short stories? They might help focus a drifting mind?

    All the best
    Jackie

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  10. Floot18 February 2010 at 10:22

    I found that post!

    http://behlerblog.wordpress.com/2009/02/19/if-you-like-me-why-dont-you-want-me/

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  11. Jackie Buxton19 February 2010 at 22:13

    Thanks Floot, that's a great post and it makes a lot of sense. Off to do some tinkering to make Glass Houses loveable ... :-)

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  12. Floot19 February 2010 at 22:16

    :-D

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