Purgatory's Pit of Doom

kellion92 said:

The querying process is more of a crapshoot than med school applications. When you apply to a school, at least you know your grades and standardized test scores. You know if you have a shot.

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You'd be surprised.

Getting into med school is very, very hard, but you do know if you are qualified. That's one of the frustrating things, I'm sure, that you can be qualified and not get in.

That's true of writing too -- you can write a good book that doesn't get published. But you don't really know if your book is good.

Good luck! Don't let me bring you down. It's nice to go into the querying process with excitement and anticipation -- I both treasure and fear that feeling.

That's exactly my point. I was VERY qualified, yet I still got rejections. I was lucky enough to get an acceptance, but it seemed mostly random to me. And yes, I think it's even more subjective and random in publishing.

Querying was more "fun" the first time around, because my request rate was pretty high. So even when I got a pass, I knew a request from another was probably nearby.

This time, with tons o' passes, it's agony.

The good news: seems as though the sun has gone away. Apparently, I've found the bowels of the Pit.

Lovely imagery, eh?

I got lucky last time (good or bad luck, I still don't know) but this time I'm forlorn. There is no doubt that I'm a better writer now, but I'm having a worse response.

kellion92 said:

I got lucky last time (good or bad luck, I still don't know) but this time I'm forlorn. There is no doubt that I'm a better writer now, but I'm having a worse response.

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This. Exactly this.

Part of me (the denial part) thinks it's that the industry has changed drastically in the last 2 years. Of course, the other part of me thinks that my writing and my story suck.

Which is a distinct possibility.

Leigh.Lyons said:

I read a story about a genie that was connected to a ring on the king's right hand!

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The original version of the story of Aladdin (as in Scheherazade's 1001 Nights version) gives him control of two genies -- one in a lamp, and one in a magical ring, which is less powerful than the lamp version. When the princess he falls in love with is taken away (along with all of the other goodies he's gotten over the course of the story), he begs the genie in the ring to get them back, but since he got them from the genie of the lamp the one in the ring isn't able to affect that. It is able to send him to wherever said princess has been spirited off to, however.

... it's weird how some stuff sticks with you. Man.

Cricket18 said:

Part of me (the denial part) thinks it's that the industry has changed drastically in the last 2 years. Of course, the other part of me thinks that my writing and my story suck.

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The part of you that is blaming it on the industry changing is the correct part. It is not denial.

If you had been under contractual deadline pressure to turn out a new book, your current book might be worse than your last, but for the vast majority of us, every book we write is going to get better and better.

And still may not sell. (What? You didn't think I was going to get all optimistic, did you? This is the Pit.)

lkp said:

And still may not sell. (What? You didn't think I was going to get all optimistic, did you? This is the Pit.)

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That's the spirit.

Awesome nic, Vandal

I agree with LKP, Cricket it's not being denial. The market getting shittier and shitter is the truth.

One thing about my journey on the query go round, it was always painful and fraught with lots of R's. So this time around shouldn't be much of a surprise. Hopefully my R callous is still in place.

lkp said:

The part of you that is blaming it on the industry changing is the correct part. It is not denial.

If you had been under contractual deadline pressure to turn out a new book, your current book might be worse than your last, but for the vast majority of us, every book we write is going to get better and better.

And still may not sell. (What? You didn't think I was going to get all optimistic, did you? This is the Pit.)

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That's why I love this place, maggots and all. Because frankly, I don't want rainbows and sparkles. Some people call it pessimism, I call it realism.

(((Soul))) When are you starting? Here, buck up and have a maggotini before you hit send.

soulcascade said:

Awesome nic, Vandal

I agree with LKP, Cricket it's not being denial. The market getting shittier and shitter is the truth.

One thing about my journey on the query go round, it was always painful and fraught with lots of R's. So this time around shouldn't be much of a surprise. Hopefully my R callous is still in place.

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L@ur3ell K H@m1lt0n says that when you start querying, you want to be writing so your brain is too preoccupied to be unset.

I'd love to be writing but my next project isn't ready. It's easier to take rejections when you're well into another manuscript (hope!), but it's not like they write themselves... I'm still waiting for a huge commercial idea to come to me in a dream...

I'm feeling down today about my submission. I'm picturing no-response agents buzzing through queries, deleting mine with the look of distaste on their faces usually reserved for Viagra spam and mortgage refinance offers.

Some people call it pessimism, I call it realism. <- THIS!

I've already started querying a few days ago Was going to wait and then I realized, what would I wait for? Might as well get that bandage ripped off.

Yeah, Leigh, I've heard that advice before, too. I did it my first time on the query-go-round but I find writing and querying together never works for me. All those rejections only make me wonder why I 'm bother getting published which SERIOUSLY kills the muse. So typically when I am querying I'll immerse myself in reading or gaming--those are great escapes for me.


{{Kellion}} thought I got to admit your last post made me laugh, how can you do that when we're in the throws of despair??! <- oh melodrama how I haven't missed you!

Brave woman, Soul! Welcome to the Query Train.

Been catching up. So (((Cricket))) and (((Soul))). Our friends left this morning, leaving me with nothing to do but dwell on...

the fact that R&R suger agent rejected my revisions. *le sigh* She said I much improved the book, but she still thought the worldbuilding was too thin. And I have to say I totally disagree this time.

Am trying not to be too disappointed since she doesn't rep YA, and YA is what I want to write. But meh. She gave me a referral, which was nice, but for an agent who already rejected me at the query stage. So meh again.

(((Ink))) so sorry. Can you requery with a referral? I think you should, explaining the revisions and referral.

That sure hurts. I had houseguests when my agent told me she wasn't going send out my last book for a second round, and I was heartbroken, but I just couldn't talk about it. It was too painful.

All the good news seems to go to the same people -- good news is never sprinkled around evenly. I just read someone's getting-an-agent story, and she had seven offers of representation. I just want ONE.

Kellion, I probably will requery with the referral right up front. It's been almost 6 months since I queried him at this point so what the hell.

I did whine while my friends were here, and they were sympathetic (one of them gets quite indignant for me, which is sweet), but they can't really *get* it since they've never been in the trenches.

Holy crap? Seven offers? But I wonder if the book will sell....

Not that I'm an authority on the subject, but I would say requery with the referral. It couldn't hurt.

Queries are hard to write (stop the presses!). I have no problem writing a screenplay with multiple stories going simultaneously, but when I have to write a paragraph synopsis, it takes forever. I'm usually very good at writing concisely, but it's hard to summarise essentially 2 stories and how they come together in 3-4 sentences.

Hi, all. I've been considering taking up space in The Pit as I'm extraordinarily gloomy lately. Will I qualify if I'm not on sub? And if I have a regretable tendency toward idealism and optimism, which you may need to slap down?

Before you answer, you should know that I don't think that I'm worthy to be on sub yet, and I have no right to my present self-pity, even as I roll and bathe in it.

Hi Haupe. Sorry to see you down here but welcome. You don't have to be subbing to hang out in the Pit. In fact, it's easier to qualify when not subbing because there really is no chance that anyone will offer you representation or a contract.

Of course you're welcome, Haupe, although I'm sorry to see you here. You don't need to be querying / on sub / etc to be here. That's the beauty of the Pit.

Idealism and optimism, however, are not allowed, so you'll have to take that up to Purgatory, if you're feeling so inclined.

ETA: everyone has a right to self-pity.

Thanks, kellion. Is a person automatically unqualified if they're repped or sold? Or is the Pit more about state of mind?

ETA: Thanks, Cricket.

*tackles Haupe* Everyone's entitled to bouts of self-pity and wallowing in the Pit. I'm sorry to see you succumb though.

Just sent out 5 more queries on the UF. Gonna go down swinging, I guess.