Still, despite the ‘leave no trace’ attitude that use of a hidden office necessitates, this is probably the very best thing that’s happened to me in the last 6 months at work. Having a little place to get away, where no one can find me and watch me and bother me and ask me for things is such a relief. Every time I walk into the office I breathe a huge sigh.
…though they did take away the poster board that hid me completely from view. Sadness.
Anyway, onward to what you’re all here to hear about: writing news.
Yesterday I finished my submission package for Tor Books. They accept unsolicited manuscripts, it appears, and so I’m planning to send in my book! It might actually be a really good fit…despite being a thriller, Traditor has a definite sci-fi spin. It’s set in the future, it deals with advanced technology, it imagines a dystopian society, etc. etc.
Anyway, the submission package took forever to complete. I had to completely re-write my cover letter, lengthen my synopsis, and shorten my writing sample. Nightmarish. Then I had to go back through and reformat EVERYTHING.
It’s done now, though! I just ran out to buy stamps, so I’ll be posting it (they only accept snail mail submissions) later today. I’ve gone over the submission guidelines a thousand times, but I’m still nervous that I’ve missed something. Hopefully not…
So one thing I’m having difficulty with is finding some sort of applying/writing balance. Ever since I finished editing Traditor I’ve been completely focused on finding and applying to agents (and Tor, of course). I’d love to start writing the second book, but whenever I sit down to work on it I feel guilty that I’m taking time away from my applications.
Conundrum.
Maybe I should keep applying for the next month or so, really pushing myself to get Traditor out there. Then I can work on the second book over my Christmas break—I’ll be off for 2 weeks, so hopefully I’ll have the time.
That may be the plan I follow.
Another issue, which is fairly embarrassing, is that I’m
actually kind of nervous to start on the second book. First off, no one has picked up the first
yet, which makes me worry that maybe I’m just a terrible, terrible writer. Secondly, it’s actually pretty
intimidating. I think once I got into
the swing of writing every day again it wouldn’t be a big deal…but for right
now, even though I have the beginning already drafted, starting work seems
downright daunting.
Oh well, I’m sure once I sit down and focus it’ll all come
back to me. I’ve been trying not to
think about it too much, because I don’t want to wear out the ideas, but I have
the entire book pretty much sketched out in my head.
And actually, writing it should be pretty cathartic for me, given some
of the subject material…
Guess that’s it for now!
Gotta get this blog posted, then it’s back to the grind. So: “painful though parting be, I bow to you
as I see you off to distant clouds.”
