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sususkelley

sususkelley

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Greetings. I am happy to be a part of the Colony but feel wildly out of place as I am an unpublished writer. I spent five years working on my first manuscript, before taking a break to have a child. Said child is now three and I am finally in the process of querying agents (which feels more challenging than writing the actual novel). Looking forward to advice, thoughts and knowledge on this process from those with more experience.
 
Welcome to the Colony! You're in the right place :) There's heaps of knowledge and experience here - I've found it hugely useful (and inspiring).
 
Welcome! (To the toughest game in town: getting your work published)

But... If you keep your eye on cracking open (insert whatever tipple's your fancy) when you sign that publishing deal, you'll get there.

You'll need determination, grit plus an open mind ready to learn from what's worked for others and why.

If you (hopefully not, but) keep getting rejected by agents/publishers (30-50+ rejections, I would say), be prepared to go back to the manuscript and scrutinise it. Seek out constructive negative criticism because that's how you improve your work, the odd glowing review from your mum is a nice pick me up, but it's not improving the work. Once you get in too deep into the manuscript, it can be hard to work out if & why it's not working. Putting it away for a period of time usually helps, but if you've had a five year gap, that editor's eye is probably already there.

You've basically opted to repeat the stresses of the first three years of raising a child, but you just have to remember that you can & will get it published, if you dig in.

(Plus, I wouldn't worry about being unpublished, most writers are!)
 
sususkelley said:
Greetings. I am happy to be a part of the Colony but feel wildly out of place as I am an unpublished writer. I spent five years working on my first manuscript, before taking a break to have a child. Said child is now three and I am finally in the process of querying agents (which feels more challenging than writing the actual novel). Looking forward to advice, thoughts and knowledge on this process from those with more experience.
Click to expand...
Welcome... I'm fairly new, and I love being here, hope you will too.
 
Welcome! Don't worry about your (lack of) publishing credentials. There are writers here at all stages. The important thing is you're here! It's a great place for advice, commiseration, and feedback. Oh, and the bar is down the hall and to the left. Tea, coffee, and cake are available there, too. ;)
 
Hi. Like you, I'm querying at the moment though I have already self published the work as an eBook. I would advise watching watching some past Pop-up submissions (available on this site and Youtube) as I found it really useful to hear agents and peers discussing actual submissions. It certainly changed my perception of the 'slush pile' process.
Good luck and best wishes for 2019!
 
Robert M Derry said:
Welcome! (To the toughest game in town: getting your work published)

But... If you keep your eye on cracking open (insert whatever tipple's your fancy) when you sign that publishing deal, you'll get there.

You'll need determination, grit plus an open mind ready to learn from what's worked for others and why.

If you (hopefully not, but) keep getting rejected by agents/publishers (30-50+ rejections, I would say), be prepared to go back to the manuscript and scrutinise it. Seek out constructive negative criticism because that's how you improve your work, the odd glowing review from your mum is a nice pick me up, but it's not improving the work. Once you get in too deep into the manuscript, it can be hard to work out if & why it's not working. Putting it away for a period of time usually helps, but if you've had a five year gap, that editor's eye is probably already there.

You've basically opted to repeat the stresses of the first three years of raising a child, but you just have to remember that you can & will get it published, if you dig in.

(Plus, I wouldn't worry about being unpublished, most writers are!)
Click to expand...

Thank you! I appreciate your supportive words, and insight. And I couldn't agree more about negative criticism. This is key. I workshopped my manuscript for a number of years with a writing group. This was helpful in that it allowed me to see how the story wasn't working, and continue to revise. But after the tenth draft, it became clear that I (and the writing group) needed space from it. The time lapse has given me more perspective. I will see how it goes with the initial querying. Happy to be a part of this group and thanks again for your encouragement!
 
Paul V said:
Hi. Like you, I'm querying at the moment though I have already self published the work as an eBook. I would advise watching watching some past Pop-up submissions (available on this site and Youtube) as I found it really useful to hear agents and peers discussing actual submissions. It certainly changed my perception of the 'slush pile' process.
Good luck and best wishes for 2019!
Click to expand...

Thanks! I am also considering the self-publishing route. Thanks for your advice re: Pop-up submissions. I will give that a try! Thanks again.
 
Robinne Weiss said:
Welcome! Don't worry about your (lack of) publishing credentials. There are writers here at all stages. The important thing is you're here! It's a great place for advice, commiseration, and feedback. Oh, and the bar is down the hall and to the left. Tea, coffee, and cake are available there, too. ;)
Click to expand...

Thanks Robinne!
 
Welcome to the Colony - I only joined a few weeks ago and wish I'd known about it earlier. 5 years to write your first novel!! - You're a speedster, took me nine - not that I'm bragging. I'm at the same stage, drafting a query letter, perfecting the synopsis and getting others to proof the MS - all very daunting as it becomes more public. Hopefully I'll get my first submissions off in a week or two and will have news to report. Good luck.
 
Hi @sususkelley! I just joined 5 minutes ago, and your story sounds very similar to mine. I finished my first draft when my daughter was 1. She's 5 and a half now. That's a lotta years of edits and revisions. :) I'm out there querying, too, since last February. Solidarity, sister, while we're in the trenches.
 
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