Whine, whine, whine...

Jeneral said:

Maybe start writing Idea #2, but I just feel like such a complete failure that I don't even know if it's worth it.

Click to expand...

Hey! Quit eavesdropping on my internal pity-party, er - dialogue.

(I know. Working on the second one while the first floats is a bit of a grind.)

Hang in there.

Okay now, five is nada--zip. You owe yourself at least, no foolin', a crisp 100 before you start feeling sorry. I went over 100 and just about threw in the towel. Please, carry on and report soldier. You can dooooooooooo it!

Tri

Jeneral said:

I just need to vent, because I got another rejection in my inbox, for a total of five so far on my novel. I know that's nothing to be too upset about, and I know that I should expect to amass a ton of rejections, and I do expect that. I used to work in show business, I know rejection is nothing personal, blah blah blah. I've got more queries out there, and I'll soon send out some more.

I just want some interest. I just want someone to ask for a partial. Something so I know that I haven't wasted the last four years writing a book that's not even interesting enough to read. But right now I feel so dejected that I just want to put it in a drawer and forget about it. Maybe start writing Idea #2, but I just feel like such a complete failure that I don't even know if it's worth it.

Bleah! Bleah! In the words of Marvin, "Oh, GOD I'm so depressed."

Click to expand...

Why should novel number one be good enough to attract interest? First attempts at anything, in any field, seldom are. It may be novel number two, or novel number five, that has everything it takes to attract a good agent/publisher.

Are you including the first two to five pages of your novel with your query letter? If you aren't, so one has yet seen any of your writing. It's your query letter that's being rejected, not your novel.

At any rate, putting too much hope in novel number one is seldom a good idea. Keep it making the rounds, but get to work on novel number two today, right this minute. And the moment it's finsihed, get to work immediately on novel number three.

Writing a novel does not mean you've written a novel anyone will want. Writing is something that must be learned, and for most writers, it takes several attempts to become good enough to beat the competition.

Most of your competition will have several novels under their collective belts.

Yes, sometimes first novels are great, sometimes they sell easily and wonderfully, but such are the rare exceptions. Most have to write several novels before writing one that has everything it takes to break into a tough, highly competative field.

What's that saying--'The difference between a published writer and an unpublished one is....perseverance.'

Give yourself a break,start something new,then go back to the first one.

I felt as you do now, Jen. That my second novel is better than the first. But I'm a bit stubborn and oc when it comes to certain things, so I went back to number one and did rewrites(you helped a great deal with that) until I felt the same about the first as I did about the second.

'If at first you don't succeed...'(don't give up, if it's a passion you wont for long)

Sometimes you gotta vent. Vent away...

So I just need to vent.

Today I received from a distinguished London agency a rejection on the partial of my novel. That's not really news, I've had plenty of others. However the content of their letter has got me steamed up. The agency said that all their agents are extremely heavily committed to their current list and are not considering taking on any new clients for the foreseeable future.

Well OK, I can see that might be the case except that on the same day another author in my writing group got a request for the full manuscript of their novel from the very same agent.

I can take being rejected. I don't like being lied to.

Sure, do start writing the next one. I find having several book going help stop me getting to annoyed about any one

waylander said:

So I just need to vent.

Today I received from a distinguished London agency a rejection on the partial of my novel. That's not really news, I've had plenty of others. However the content of their letter has got me steamed up. The agency said that all their agents are extremely heavily committed to their current list and are not considering taking on any new clients for the foreseeable future.

Well OK, I can see that might be the case except that on the same day another author in my writing group got a request for the full manuscript of their novel from the very same agent.

I can take being rejected. I don't like being lied to.

Click to expand...

Me neither. I hope you get good news soon!

>I just want some interest. I just want someone to ask for a partial. Something so I know that I haven't wasted the last four years writing a book that's not even interesting enough to read.

Yes, wouldn't the validation be nice? I was just telling something like this to my husband the other day. The partial and occasional full requests help me stay motivated and persevering. Even if we continue to get rejected, it's a sign that we're on the right track. Of course, it would be even nicer if the last three years of submissions didn't turn into three more...

oddly enough, we've gotten requests on everything we've done, first and latest novel. Sometimes it's a matter of finding the right agent/publisher at the right time.

Chin up, you'll get there.

clara bow said:

>Sometimes it's a matter of finding the right agent/publisher at the right time.

Chin up, you'll get there.

Click to expand...

so true....timing can be everything.
60% Luck, 40% talent.