Last week I told you all that I volunteered at the fabulous Rochester Children's Book Festival. What I didn't tell you was that Bruce Coville was there. Bruce Coville was my mentor at Chautauqua back in 2007 and I run into him from time to time because we are both Upstate New Yorkers, but apparently I still feel odd calling him just Bruce.
Anyway, he asked me what I had out for submission. I was like, uh, nothing. You know, I write almost every day, I stammered. He stared at me. I had stuff out for submission earlier this year, I stuttered. Okay! I admit it! I have nothing out there! Nothing in the mail, snail or electronic. Yikes. So he flicked me in the arm.
So. This was a good reminder. I'm supposed to write stuff and then send it out. I don't like sending stuff out. It gets rejected. This makes me unhappy. Also, after a few rejections, I figure out how to fix the story. But by then I am immersed in a different project and lack the enthusiasm to stop my new project and go back and fix the old one. So I don't send it back out. I'll get around to that next revision "someday soon."
Do I wait until I have a chance to really fix it? Or do I send it out anyway, hoping someone will like it as it stands? If I do that, will I burn through all the promising editors and agents before I get that necessary revision done?
-- Kate, Miss Nothing in the Mail
2 comments:
I say, "Submit and burn through them!" Lol! OK, submit a few more times before putting a project in the "definitely revise before any more subs" pile. :) Go Bruce! ;)
I'm EXACTLY the same way as you. I'll dump a whole project over a few rejections. Sigh. But for Gilded, I've decided to see it through. Revise it into the ground and send it out for all its worth because I really do believe in this project. Oh and I'm going to see Bruce in Miami this January. He's so cool!
Keep sending those babies out! You've got so much great stuff.
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