Morning all. I've been looking at a lot of blog sites recently - purely research of course - as I plot and plan how to set up my own site. (If you believe that you'll believe anything...I like blogging.) Anyway a lot of the sites I've been reading - both pub's and unpub's alike talk about a recurring theme. Sending. Out. The. Manuscript! Or more to the point - not.
There seems to be huge barrier to sending out our ms's into the big, bad world of publishing. I think of it something along the lines of that first day of school moment. You know the one. Your child is 4 years old and it's the first day of full time school. You drop him/her off at the gates, s/he turns to you with big tears in their eyes and a quivering bottom lip. You then have to fight the massive urge to run over to them, sweep them up in your arms, and run away screaming at the top of your voice "my baby, my baby. Nobody is having my baby."
And make no mistake - our ms's have become our babies (well for me at least) - we've nurtured them, shouted at them, cried and laughed over them, made them have detention (for not behaving themselves) until finally they are ready for the big bad world, just like the first day of school. They have been polished and tidied up to within an inch of their life, no spelling mistakes, grammar as best as we can make it - then we pad them up and with a deep breath post them off, all the while wanting to take them back and never let them out of your sight.
Sooo. Massive hugs to all those writers out there who are stressing over the NWS August deadline and those waiting for their readers reports - and hopefully a second read. I know how you feel - trust me!
Take care. Caroline x
I can relate to this. On my daughter's first day of school, I lurked in the car half a mile down the road, mobile at the ready in case I was needed. Of course I wasn't. Crushing.
ReplyDeleteAnyhow, you're right, I'm just as protective of my ms - but I'm going to send it on Monday whether it's ready or not.
:-(