How superstitious are you?

Susan Breen · Sep 15, 2007

The day my editor accepted my book, I was wearing a dangly pair of earrings and I've been wearing them ever since. On the other hand, two years ago an editor rejected something I wrote and I cannot bring myself to put on the blouse I was wearing that day. I'm not sure if that's a superstition or a phobia, but anyway... what do you do?

BenPanced · Sep 15, 2007

I never, ever let people read WIPs. I've done so in the past and I wound up not finishing them. Too risky to put down as mere coincidence.

Shadow_Ferret · Sep 15, 2007

Bah. Superstitious? Not at all. It's pure nonsense and I'm surprised anyone in the 21st century even admits to subscribing to it.

Well, except for the Green Bay Packers. Since they won last Sunday, now I have to wear that exact same jersey I wore last week for every game.

But that's different.

Ava Jarvis · Sep 15, 2007

BenPanced said:
I never, ever let people read WIPs. I've done so in the past and I wound up not finishing them. Too risky to put down as mere coincidence.

I have tended not to do this either. Writers always like to have written; by telling someone the story, you can kill your desire to write it down little by little.

WendyNYC · Sep 15, 2007

My daughter kisses the submissions I really want published just before I send them out. I'm new to submitting, so I'll let you know how that works out for me.

By the way, Susan, I think you are my future Gotham teacher for the class starting in October.

Wendy

auntybug · Sep 15, 2007

I wore the same hat to everyone of my sons roller hockey games. We always won. It was requested at the playoffs

It looked like a dalmation - ears and all....oh the humility but hey....a charm is a charm.

Will Lavender · Sep 15, 2007

BenPanced said:
I never, ever let people read WIPs. I've done so in the past and I wound up not finishing them. Too risky to put down as mere coincidence.

I don't even like to talk about my WIPs. I'm always surprised when someone on AW says, "My spouse and I talk about my characters all the time." If I share the specifics of an unfinished work with anyone, it usually dies a hard, cold death shortly thereafter.

And don't even get me started on sports superstitions. I'm a Kentucky Wildcats fan, and some of the things I do on gamedays would get me committed.

Susan Breen · Sep 15, 2007

WendyNYC said:
My daughter kisses the submissions I really want published just before I send them out. I'm new to submitting, so I'll let you know how that works out for me.

By the way, Susan, I think you are my future Gotham teacher for the class starting in October.

Wendy

Hi Wendy. I think you're right. I hope I do a good job. See you soon.

Karen Junker · Sep 15, 2007

I've learned never to pitch an unfinished manuscript. It's the kiss of death for that idea.

scarletpeaches · Sep 15, 2007

I don't have any superstitions beyond trying to make a piece of work as good as it can be before I send it out. That seems to increase my chances of a request for a partial or full.

Koobie · Sep 15, 2007

I wear neither blouses nor earrings, so I guess I'm pretty safe.

shakeysix · Sep 15, 2007

black cats

send me into a tizzy. and with good reason. one day last spring i stepped outside to see a black cat napping on the hood of my car. i immediately had one of my harbinger of doom tizzies. my daughters laughed at me. the car was not 3 years old but it went into the shop for a 600$ repair the very next day. just the last in a long line of black cat related misfortunes. you will never talk me out of this--s6

DamaNegra · Sep 15, 2007

I... don't have any superstitions. In fact, today at supper I poured salt all over me to prove I didn't mind. Nothing bad has happened, so I guess there's no problem.

Leigh Walker · Sep 15, 2007

I travel alot, but once i start working on something, I have to stay in the same place to finish it. I wrote the first draft of a manuscript in an interntet cafe in Peru while we were traveling there. I actually paid the owners so that i could use the same computer every day. I was there for about 6 hours a day for a months until it was done. After that, I decided that I just couldnt travel anymore without a laptop!

I also wont talk about anything that I am working on until it is complete, but that doesnt seem so strange from the other posts I read.

MissAimee · Sep 15, 2007

BenPanced said:
I never, ever let people read WIPs. I've done so in the past and I wound up not finishing them. Too risky to put down as mere coincidence.

I'm the same way.. I do not tell or let anybody read what I'm writing. I think it's because I will get bored and move one.

pepperlandgirl · Sep 15, 2007

I'm not superstitious at all. Nothing bad has ever happened to me. And I even said "MacBeth" in a theater! Right after I told somebody "Good luck"!

How superstitious are you?

Susan Breen

BenPanced

THE BLUEBERRY QUEEN OF HADES (he/him)

Shadow_Ferret

Court Jester

Ava Jarvis

Too stupid to know fear

WendyNYC

fiddle-dee-dee

auntybug

teh other evil broad

Will Lavender

Everything is what it seems.

Susan Breen

Karen Junker

Live a little. Write a lot.

scarletpeaches

Koobie

Super Duper Member

shakeysix

blue eyed floozy

DamaNegra

Mexican on the loose!

Leigh Walker

Where are we going?

MissAimee

A wannabe writer who lives in a land of confusion

pepperlandgirl

American Aquarium Drinker