Top Ten Things To Do While Waiting To Hear From The Editor:

David McAfee · Nov 9, 2006

Ah, the waiting game...she is fun, no?

No.

So, if you find yourself in the situation of waiting to hear from the editor/agent/succubus currently in possession of your full, what are some things to do to keep your mind occupied?

How about these?

1) Check your email...again

2) Watch a Spongebob episode (during the commercial, check your email)

3) Check your voice mail just in case they called and you missed it while you were checking your email

4) Read more in the book from that publisher you ordered from Amazon (if you get to a part where you can put it down...yup...check your email)

5) Put in your Simpsons season XX DVDs, that'll keep you busy for a little while since there aren't any commercials (when one episode ends, check your email...and your voice mail. Call the neighbors just in case a letter got sent to them by mistake)

6) Take a bath, relax. take that XX publisher's book with you. Ahhhh.... (take the phone into the bathroom with you, just in case)

7) Ask your spouse (again) if anything good came in the mail today. Then duck. While he or she is giving you the "Give it a rest" speech, go check your email.

8) Coffee. Yeah, that's it. make some coffee. Gotta be alert if that acceptance comes through. Move the coffee pot next to your computer so you can keep your eye on your email.

9) Ok, coffee didn't work. Now your keyboard is trashed due to its inability to drink the stuff, but that's ok. Grab the laptop, be more careful with it. Try to tune out the spouse's second (fourth? Thirtieth?) "Give it a rest" speech while you check your voice mail. As long as you are on your phone anyway, call the neighbors again and ask them if they are SURE they didn't get any of your mail by mistake. Act suspicious if they say no. Oh, and check your email again, you might have missed the notice while you were doing the rest of the stuff in 9.

10) Write another book? Are you crazy? Half my hair is already gone! Where's that laptop? Ooh, another story idea...about a guy who invents a laptop computer/coffee pot....yeah...yeah...it could work. I gotta send an email about it...

Ok, ok, y'all know I'm only kidding. I'm actually writing two WIPs, but even so, the waiting suuuuure does...well...you know.

WerenCole · Nov 9, 2006

1. Edit.
2. Re-write.
3. Walk dog.
4. Write a little more on that story that I can't ever seem to finish. . . I thought it was going to be "short" damnit.
5. Edit.
6. Re-write.
7. Walk dog.
8. Open bottle of wine. Write a little more in that novel that I think may actually become a series of novels. . . it was supposed to "short" damnit.
9. Drink wine.
10. Go to bed, wake up, start over.

Substitue beer for wine if you like.

David McAfee · Nov 9, 2006

WerenCole said:
Substitue beer for wine if you like.

How about Jim Beam? I never was big on beer...

WerenCole · Nov 9, 2006

Anything you want, Mr. Hemingway.

David McAfee · Nov 9, 2006

...did Hemmingway drink bourbon? I knew he was a drinker, but I was never clear on the details.

Dave.C.Robinson · Nov 9, 2006

I've been waiting long enough that someone else requested the next one

maddythemad · Nov 9, 2006

1. Play Sims
2. Play Sims
3. Play Sims
4. Get kicked off Sims by little sister
5. Call friends: "Shopping trip!"
6. Damn. Friends are all in school.
7. Call up homeschooled friends: "Shopping trip!"
8. Damn. They're all doing school at home.
9. Reread Harry Potter and feel like a geek.
10. Log onto AW to complain about not hearing from agent/editor.

spacejock2 · Nov 10, 2006

1) Participate in nanowrimo
2) Or just write
3-10) There's nothing else.

SJAB · Nov 10, 2006

Do what I normally do

Which consists of;

1) Having to work for a living.

2) Being the ear that two grown up daughters bend at least once a day.

3) Write a bit.

4) Watch TV a bit

5) Do the housework (yuck)

6) Day dream

7) Try and keep up with forum boards like this (an impossible task)

8) Sleep, well try to.

9) Limit the amount of pain killers I take.

10) Be thankful I still have two legs that actually work (A long and boring story.)

LeeFlower · Nov 10, 2006

1. Write something else.
2. Edit something else.
3. Decide who to query next
4. Address and stamp SASEs for the next batch of queries
5. Do some research to add more agents to my list of places to send it, so that the list doesn't get depleated
6. Write a new query letter without looking at the old one
7. Read the old one over to see if it's still as awesome as I thought it was when I wrote it
8. see if there's anything from the new version I can use to improve the old
9. Send something else out someplace
10. Watch a lot of Fraggle Rock. The all-knowing trash heap can offer further suggestions.

C.bronco · Nov 10, 2006

David McAfee said:
...did Hemmingway drink bourbon? I knew he was a drinker, but I was never clear on the details.

I know he got up at 5:30 am (hey, just like me!),and then he'd write for a few hours. He wouldn't eat or drink until he was done writing, which is why I think his characters are frequently drinking wine and eating cheese.

I don't like to write first think in the morning because at that time I can barely do more than grunt and point.

But back to you. Hey, get out of the house! It's a beautiful day. Go hiking, or shopping. Visit your Uncle Earl! I'm stuck at work, but if I had an uncle Earl, I'd probably visit him.

Goof around with another form of writing - something you haven't done before. Plan your author website. Paint a room.

The mailman will come, oh yes, he will.

Stew21 · Nov 10, 2006

David McAfee said:
...did Hemmingway drink bourbon? I knew he was a drinker, but I was never clear on the details.

Hemingway drank everything.

PeeDee · Nov 10, 2006

David McAfee said:
...did Hemmingway drink bourbon? I knew he was a drinker, but I was never clear on the details.

That's okay. Papa wasn't really clear on the details either.

Things I do:

1) Write some more
2) Write some more
3) Write some more
4) Re-write/edit
5) Work at the bookstore, where I....write some more
6) Have a fun evening out with my wife and our friends
7) Write some more
8) Write some more
9) REad what I write
10) Declare myself a hack, threaten to tear up all I've written and stomp off to play video games, except, except...I've just had this idea and so I'd better go Write Some more.

Maprilynne · Nov 10, 2006

1.) Check my e-mail.
2.) Page my cordless phone to make sure it's working.
3.) Think about finding my plug-in phone in case my cordless dies.
4.) Have a heart attack when the phone rings and barely keep from saying "F*%$ You!" when it's the wrong number.
5.) Re-read the emails saying how much she loves what she read and when she'll get back to me.
6.) Check e-mail.
7.) Check calendar and make sure it is the day you think it is.
8.) Roll eyes when I realize it's not.
9.) Go respond to every thread on absolutewrite that sounds even minimally interesting.
10.) Check e-mail.

<sigh>

Maprilynne

SeanDSchaffer · Nov 10, 2006

1. Write a new, better book.
2. Go to AW and talk about experience writing new, better book.
3. Edit new, better book.
4. Go to AW and talk about experience editing new, better book.
5. Drink lots of coffee.
6. Check email everyday.
7. Say things I ought not because not one of the 75,006 emails I received today has anything to do with my query.
8. Go to AW and post what I said because not one of the 75,006 emails I received today had anything to do with my query.
9. Repeat all these steps until the end of Eternity (at least, that's what you feel like while you're waiting for a response from an agent).
10. Be elated when you get your email with your acceptance....only to wake up shortly thereafter...

Like you all have pointed out, this waiting game is tough to handle! I haven't had the dream (nightmare?) mentioned in #10 yet, but I'm just about ready to expect it anytime now...

Dave.C.Robinson · Nov 10, 2006

1) Check Email
2) Be happy you got one from the publisher
3) Be less happy that they're asking you to resubmit because they can't find your manuscript.
4) Be more happy that they haven't said no
5) Polish out the typos you missed last time.
6) Send off the manuscript
7) Wait
8) Wait more
9) Try to play a computer game
10) Go to work

UrsusMinor · Nov 11, 2006

David McAfee said:
...did Hemmingway drink bourbon? I knew he was a drinker, but I was never clear on the details.

In his European period he was big on grappa, probably because it is so manly and proletarian.

My advice on things to do while waiting for an editor, agent, etc--go out of town and leave your e-mail behind. Nothing good writing-wise has ever happened to me while I was at home waiting; but my first offers of representation came while I was traveling, and an editor finally notified me that he wanted to take my book while I was traveling.

A watched pot never boils. Get outta Dodge.

Christine N. · Nov 11, 2006

1. work (at your computer, with the internet on, so you'll know immediately if an e-mail comes in)
2. write (at the computer, with the internet on, so you'll know immediately if an e-mail comes in)
3. check forums (ditto)
4. check the last e-mail you had from editor, look at the date and wonder if it's too soon to send a status check.
5. I dunno, read a book or something.
6. plot some more of the book you're working on.
7. Look up stuff for the WIP, on the internet, so you know immediately if an e-mail comes in.
8. Mug the mailman to see if you're next paycheck has come yet.
9. Christmas shopping (online, so you know immediately if an e-mail comes in.)
10. Stare at the incoming mail box, waiting for an e-mail to come in, even though it's Saturday and you KNOW they're not working today, not even to send you a rejection e-mail.

Brenda Hill · Nov 11, 2006

David McAfee, your 1-9 exactly describes my life right now and I'm NOT kidding.

I'd write more, but I have to check my email . . .

aadams73 · Nov 11, 2006

I find chewing my nails manages to make a few minutes each day pass quite quickly.

janetbellinger · Nov 11, 2006

Think about something else - just about anything will do.

Diviner · Nov 11, 2006

I write, of course. Work on other novels. Rewrite. Edit. Write short stories. Do research.

I visit friends and family, travel, read for pleasure.

Paint, mess with my digital photos.

Watch Little League and AYSO games

Write some more.

Whine to other writers, actually to anyone who will lend me an ear.

But really, it is always BIC time.

stormie · Nov 11, 2006

You mean I'm not the only one who checks out AW while I'm playing the waiting game???

Okay, here's my list:
Sip peppermint schnapps on ice.
Write something coherent.
Take several sips of peppermint schnapps on ice.
Write something a little less coherent.
Gulp peppermint schnapps.
Write something. Anything.
Forget the glass of schnapps, and go right to the bottle.
There. Now it's no problem to wait!

Seriously, I write essays or short stories and send them out while I wait for responses from my agent.

peevy · Nov 13, 2006

Pressure

It seems easy enough to say, Hey, just write your next novel while you're waiting to hear back from editors.

But is it a bad sign that I already feel pressure and I don't even have a contract yet?

It was easy to write The Next Novel(s) while waiting to hear back from agents, but now that I've got an agent and am waiting for the editors to bite, I'm feeling really anxious about writing.

Anyone else feel the pressure?

When does it go away? I would like to get back to enjoying writing.

David McAfee · Nov 13, 2006

peevy said:
It seems easy enough to say, Hey, just write your next novel while you're waiting to hear back from editors.

But is it a bad sign that I already feel pressure and I don't even have a contract yet?

It was easy to write The Next Novel(s) while waiting to hear back from agents, but now that I've got an agent and am waiting for the editors to bite, I'm feeling really anxious about writing.

Anyone else feel the pressure?

When does it go away? I would like to get back to enjoying writing.

Can't help ya there. I don't have an agent.

Top Ten Things To Do While Waiting To Hear From The Editor:

God of Squirrels

Funny what? Do I amuse you?

God of Squirrels

Funny what? Do I amuse you?

God of Squirrels

... with the High Command

Being edited for submission

Lurker Extraordinaire

I have plans...

Where's my tea, please...?

Author Waiting in the Wings

SeanDSchaffer

... with the High Command

haz a shiny new book cover

Diva in Training

A Work in Progress

storm central

keeping my head

God of Squirrels