The Next Circle of Hell, Vol. 2

cmi - Best of luck with the Big 5 editor, and keep chugging on with Book 2!

Quickbread - Post-revision recovery mode sounds lovely and well-deserved.

About 9K into my WIP, I am suddenly struck by inspiration for a whole different project. Bleh. What do you guys do when this happens? Abandon the current WIP and work on the new one? Or put new idea away in Ideas Folder and come back to it when you're done with current project? Hrmmmmm.

I make a few notes so I don't lose the idea. Carry on with my WIP. If the new idea won't go away I write a bit of it to see how it goes on, while continuing with my WIP. And that is how I have, in the past, found myself working on four different books at the same time.

What Old Hack said above. Make notes so the idea is still there, but keep going with the current thing. Though my brain seems to like letting ideas marinate for a little while because they get better that way, so in keeping going with the current thing, the new idea is tumbling around in the background and getting to be a stronger story. I have a legal pad I keep with me to scribble down story ideas, bits of dialogue, outlines of scenes, etc.

I'm chugging along pretty well. Got a good outline down this weekend for the New Thing. Haven't heard back from my agent re: next steps for my current thing, so I'm planning to email her my outline probably tomorrow for opinions and touch base with her on the current book.

The one thing I hate about Mondays is that it's day job time. I love the weekends because I can devote a lot of good time to my writing, which is harder to do during the week. So I feel like a writer on weekends more than I do during the week. On Mondays it's like I'm going back undercover again.

I had an absolute flash of inspiration on the piece that's with betas. My tough-as-nails CP commented that one of the minor characters seemed flat, and in the pre-sleep rumination time Saturday night I realized why. It tied up a plot hole and would help round out the character. I love that pre-sleep time-- unless I'm plotting so much that I can't fall asleep. I can usually remember most things in the morning, but I know I need to keep a notebook by the bedside to catch some things. Does anyone keep a notebook by the bed?

Puttputt: Pretty much what the others have said--I jot down a few sentences and save it for later. Especially once I've around 15-20k, I do my best to see a WIP to completion before I start anything else. I get ideas for novels all the time, but maybe 5-10% of them actually pan out on the page, which makes me very reluctant to be swayed from a manuscript-in-progress.

polish: Sounds like you're making progress! Hooray! I have tried keeping a notebook by the bed in the past, but it doesn't work for me. When I wake up, it's hard enough to open my eyes, let alone actually writing down a sentence or two.

Quickbread said:

This week, I’ve been busy cleaning up all the verbal tics in my manuscript. Ugh. Turns out I used the words “maybe” and “just” about 100 times each. Same goes for “I thought” and “I knew.” Other than that, I’m still in post-revision recovery mode, which has involved a lot of sleeping, lounging around and curling up with animals.

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"Just" is a big one for me too. In my last MS I went through and cut a lot of occurrences but left the ones I felt added to the character's voice. "Maybe" is another one for sure. It's crazy what you don't notice during a first draft that you find out through revisions. The ole magnifying glass and fine tooth comb.

Putputt said:

cmi -

About 9K into my WIP, I am suddenly struck by inspiration for a whole different project. Bleh. What do you guys do when this happens? Abandon the current WIP and work on the new one? Or put new idea away in Ideas Folder and come back to it when you're done with current project? Hrmmmmm.

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For me this really isn't an issue because when I'm writing, I actively avoid the thoughts that tend to lead to new story ideas. It's hard to explain, but I tend to be so focused on the current WIP that it consumes all of my free-thought time (showering, going for walks during lunch etc) So the only way for a new story idea to strike is during a dream when I can't actively control it. Or in those cases when an idea pops up unexpectedly during some random event, in which case I condition myself to not follow the rabbit down the hole.

polish - since my phone is my alarm clock, it's always by the bed. When inspiration hits like that, I'll dictate a note into my phone so I don't lose the germ of the idea.

Jeneral said:

polish - since my phone is my alarm clock, it's always by the bed. When inspiration hits like that, I'll dictate a note into my phone so I don't lose the germ of the idea.

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This is smart.

As for verbal tics: Just, Almost, passive verbs, know, felt... the line-editing part of editing always feels like I'm hitting myself repeatedly over the head with a dictionary.

Quickbread said:

Cristin, thanks for the suggestions on finding readers through universities. After some hunting, I found a potential reader for mine who’d be perfect. She’s a poet and professor with a background similar to my MC in question. I sent her an email, so hopefully she will at least be open to some question/answer correspondence.

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How cool! I hope you hear from her soon.

Well, I just received a rejection roundup from my agent. Seriously like, 6 rejections at once. I think she held off sending them because there was an editor hoping to take my ms to acquisitions, but unfortunately it was shot down during second reads. It's not looking good for this ms finding a home. One editor did offer to provide notes if I decide to revise, which is nice of her, and she also asked that my agent send her my next book when it's ready. I feel like I need to press forward with my new WIP, and pour my heart into that right now.

Is anyone planning to do Camp Nanowrimo next month?

Ack, Cristin, please have some R rum. Six is a lot to process at once.

OMG @ the editor who wanted to acquire it tho! Clearly you have a great MS on your hands if at least one house is willing to go that far with it.

OH - I'm working on two different projects right now and am finding it really challenging. Can't imagine what working on FOUR must've been like for you!

Jeneral - Yay to the new outline! Hopefully your agent updates you soon.

Polish - Aahh, congrats to figuring out how to solve a plot hole! Love when that happens. I use my phone as my notebook as well. I just write an e-mail to myself and title it something like: "LONDON BOOK IDEA".

Spikeman - That's very disciplined of you. I usually succeed at ignoring the bunnies when I'm working on something, but once in a while, the bunneh is so fat and ...hoppy, it's damn near impossible to ignore.

Cristin - *huuuugs* I'm so sorry to hear that. That's really tough. I'm not sure about doing Camp Nano...I've had great experience with NanoWrimo, but for some reason I'm finding the thought really daunting now.

Yesterday I got two rejections on my second last MS on sub. It's not the #Ownvoices one that everybody loved (no news on that one), but...it still stung. *sigh*

I'm expecting to hear from my agent today with notes from the first round of rejections. Apparently there are only a few so far, which is good, and it's being read by quite a few more. I don't know if I'm looking forward to hearing what the rejecting editors had to say, or not.

Ah, Cristin, that's terrible being hit with them all at once! Can you ask your agent to update you as it happens, spread out the misery (and the hope) a little?
But almost to acquisitions....you know there's nothing wrong with your writing, then, it's just the subjectivity of the business.

And PuttPutt too, :-( Too bad. Does this mean the editors are starting to churn again?

Re multiple MS's....I'm generally writing one, lazily-plotting one (as in, it's in my head and nowhere else) and editing two to three at any one time. And no, that's not a good idea. I do find that the voice from one tends to wander into another.

OH - I hope the editors who rejected give useful feedback. Fingers crossed for the remaining ones!!

Elsie - Not sure if editors are starting to churn again. Oohh, and I hear you about voices from different projects bleeding into one another. I have that same exact problem myself.

Getting the two Rs yesterday really put a damper on my spirits. I spent hours today and last night Googling "publishing acquisitions process" and I am now 100% convinced none of my books will ever get past acquisitions. *wallows in self-pity* Woe is meeee! *wilts gently in the bog*

I now have comments from eight editors who have all said no, and it's out with twelve more--plus foreign publishers, none of whom have responded yet (but they usually take longer, apparently.) Useful feedback from all of them, and the consensus is that my book is too literary to be psychological thriller, and too psychologically thrilling to be literary. Which is something the agents who rejected it commented on: but the agents who offered thought it was a great strength, so I'm ok about it. And I only need one offer, right? Lovely feedback, very complimentary (despite being attached to rejections!) and I am properly pleased.

Putputt said:

Getting the two Rs yesterday really put a damper on my spirits. I spent hours today and last night Googling "publishing acquisitions process" and I am now 100% convinced none of my books will ever get past acquisitions. *wallows in self-pity* Woe is meeee! *wilts gently in the bog*

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I know the feeling, Putt. But you're in with a better chance than most. Fingers crossed.

Cristin: That really bites, I'm sorry. Making it to second reads is a good sign though, and there seems to be other interest likewise--keep the faith if you can!

OH: Sorry for the Rs. But it sounds like some of the feedback was positive. This is a good sign!

OH - Thank you for the encouragement. Congratulations on the positive feedback! A literary psych thriller sounds right up my alley. I'm sitting here hoping it sells so I may one day buy it.

OH: that is a lovely kind of rejection. I can't wait to read that book when it's out in the world.

PutPutt: Acquisitions scares the pants off of me. I'd rather not know I was sent to acquisitions until after an acceptance or rejection, because that entire day would break me.

Lots of rejections all around, it sounds like. Yesterday was a kind of terrible day! Fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies all around (gluten free, if applicable)

I'm feeling like a glutton for extra punishment and have been cleaning up my hard drive and trying to polish up short stories, essays, and poems that I've never sent anywhere. Now I get to refresh my Submittable AND email hourly.

Crossing fingers and toes for good news for everyone soon.

Awwww. Big all around for the tsunami of passes that just came through here.

I will say that after going through three weeks of torture hearing that my MS was 2nd getting reads, then with the director, then to acquisitions (and having no idea which day the meeting was on), only to be told, "Not quite yet," I'd much rather be told after the whole process is over. I usually like to be in the loop with everything, but that trip to acquisitions was a special kind of torment I don't care to repeat.

krashnburn said:

Awwww. Big all around for the tsunami of passes that just came through here.

I will say that after going through three weeks of torture hearing that my MS was 2nd getting reads, then with the director, then to acquisitions (and having no idea which day the meeting was on), only to be told, "Not quite yet," I'd much rather be told after the whole process is over. I usually like to be in the loop with everything, but that trip to acquisitions was a special kind of torment I don't care to repeat.

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Right now I'm in the opposite boat of just longing for my agent to take the initiative and keep me in the loop. So because my experience has been so much the reverse, I would love an update that says hey, so and so is reading. That would be exciting. But I'm sure after a time or two of being put through that stress, I would wish I didn't have that weighing on my mind. I am easily stressed when it comes to things that are not in my control, so sleeping would be difficult for days or weeks or months.

Putputt said:

OH -

Getting the two Rs yesterday really put a damper on my spirits. I spent hours today and last night Googling "publishing acquisitions process" and I am now 100% convinced none of my books will ever get past acquisitions. *wallows in self-pity* Woe is meeee! *wilts gently in the bog*

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Ha ha, this makes me smile because I've spent a lot of time on Google doing the same. But you'll get there!

Yikes, what's going on with all the R's this week? Blahhh. *spritzes anti-rejection spray around the room*

Putt, I'm totally with you on feeling like getting past second reads and acquisitions is an impossible feat. Every time I hear somebody say "It only takes one yes!" I want to cry.

Emailed my agent. It had been two weeks since I heard from her...
(and I sent the NEW THING)
I know she probably won't have time to read it for a while, but still. I sent it. Will try hard not to stress-vomit while I wait for a reply.

Thanks everyone for the solidarity. It helps having a place to talk about rejection with people who understand!

OH - A literary thriller sounds like an awesome combination. I hope you find the perfect editor to take it on.

Puttputt - Sorry about the R's. Your #ownvoices sounds A++, though. I have a good feeling about it for you.

Spikeman - I also feel anxious when I don't feel in control, which is basically the entire submissions process. *sigh*.

I'm still feeling down, but I did manage to write 1,000 new words in my WIP today. That's something. And reading back through my plethora of rejections, there were some nice things said. One editor compared my writing to Megan Whalen Turner's, which is an enormous compliment (unfortunately, she's MWT's editor, which is why she rejected me...oh well). I'll still probably print that one out and hang it in my work space.

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polishmuse said:

Emailed my agent. It had been two weeks since I heard from her...
(and I sent the NEW THING)
I know she probably won't have time to read it for a while, but still. I sent it. Will try hard not to stress-vomit while I wait for a reply.

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Good luck, PM! I'm sure she'll love it!