The Next Circle of Hell, Vol. 2

pinkbowvintage said:

My agent nudges, but usually gives at least a few months. I think it depends on the editor, their schedule, and how close my agent is with them.

Click to expand...

This.

I've used 4-12 readers depending on the MS and comments.

PutPutt -- My WIP is an adult fantasy and just finished all the worldbuilding. Took me at least six months to sort it all out but finally the world feels lived-in enough that I can dive in and knit the rest together as I go.

It's always helped me to start out with something familiar I can compare things to. And then I twist them. And if you're using magic, the magic system is always a beginning for me. What are the rules and what do they do for the narrative? I start there and then build the world around those rules.

Worldbuilding is haaaaard.

And VE WOOOOOOO! You are doing so great, it sounds like! I can't wait to hear about your deal.

VEHurst, I'm SO excited for you!! I sincerely hope those OMG editors end up fighting over your book and you sell ASAP!

I just found out my agent pitched my second book to a Big 5 editor :X who is interested in reading it :X so I'm nervous.

pinkbow--- awesome news!!!

new book is with MORE betas now (thanks for the advice, you guys) and now I'm going to distract myself with essays or reading or maybe just eating. Probably just eating.

PBV - Ahh, excited for you! Hope the Big 5 editor reads quickly and falls in love!

January - Omg, 6 months to plan out the world?? Although come to think of it, that makes sense. I feel like worldbuilding is something I'm really bad at, and maybe it's because I tend to rush it instead of planning everything out. Thank you for the guidance, that really helps.

Ugh, I can't believe it hasn't even been a week since I sent my agent my MS. It feels like it's been a month. Stop me from poking him... *inches finger towards him*

Don't poke!!!!

PBV: Exciting! Here's hoping for you.

Polishmuse: Have you read this essay? High-quality distraction reading; I read it the other day.

Puttputt: No poking!!!

Nothing new on my end. Hoping March is filled with good news for everyone!

CMI: Whitehead? I'm in. (bookmarks)

I poked. I couldn't help it. It's been almost 3 weeks since I've sent back my revision. Though it wasn't so much a poke (like I didn't say "HOWS THE BOOK ARE YOU DONE READING IT YET") as it was wanting to get some clarification on what she expects going forward. I'm leaving Thursday for a writing retreat & I anticipate getting a fair amount of work done on a new thing, but I don't know at what stage she wants to know about new things. So I just shot her an email about that, because if she wants pitches I can get some together for the new projects I have in mind pretty quickly.

January - Yay, I'm here! And OMG - six months? I'm in awe. I was just reiterating to my husband the other day that the thing that keeps me from wanting to write fantasy is I haaaaaate worldbuilding.

I have stuff to tell you that I can't tell you yet and it's KILLING ME!

Pete, back from his holiday with a smile on his face.

PETE!!!

That's awesome, Pete!

Congratulations, Pete!!

Congrats, Pete!

PEEEETE! Can't wait to hear!!

Yay, Pete!!!

Thank you all! Hopefully it won't be too much longer

AAHH, congratulations Pete!!

I didn't poke my agent...he read the new MS! He said it's "wonderful!!!" (With the three exclamation marks!) So YAAAAY! We're gonna have a phone call to discuss edits, but they seem minor based on his email. Ack, I'm just so happy and excited!

Wow, guys, I don't check in for a day, and you all have so much good/exciting news? Pete, I'm suuuuuuuuuure you could at least hint! Or we could post a series of "is it" questions, and you could just nod, that wouldn't be telling, right?

s anyone else absolutely terrified about sending a new MS to their agent? My agent knows the storyline of the one I'm supposed to send her at the end of the month....but it's so far removed from the two she's read, I'm really dubious about sending. What if she thinks I'm a terrible person (in the 'who writes this kind of stuff'? way). What if she thinks she should never have repped me? What if she point-blank says no, she wont handle it (and its the first of a series of three)?. WHAT IF SHE LIKES HER OTHER CLIENTS MORE THAN ME??? Waaaah. I'm being needy. I kind of feel like sending it direct to small publishers, just so she doesn't have to reject me!

YAY PUTTPUTT! So happy your agent loves it

I was honestly really scared to pitch my next MS to my agent, Elsie. I know she loves my writing in general, but it's always nerve-wracking, that feeling of, "What if I can't live up to the last book?" or "What if I can't write something as good/marketable this time?"

But I did it, I pitched her my third book, which I only have about 90 pages of so far. I sent her 10 of them. And...she likes it so far! It's really reassuring me that I should keep going and finish it.

Just remember your agent didn't just fall in love with your book, they fell in love with your voice and style. GO FOR IT!

Aaaahhh, thank you PBV!!! I'm so happy and relieved. I feel like I can finally sleep well now, lol!

Elsie, yes and yes. I was just whining a week ago about being more anxious about sending my MS to my agent than having it go on sub. I was also in the same boat with an MS that's wildly different from everything else I've sent my agent, so I totally empathize. PBV is right, your agent didn't just fall in love with your book, she fell in love with your voice and your writing style. Just do your best, see what your betas or CPs say about it, and send it off when it's ready!

How exciting, Pete! We're overdue for some more good news!

Putputt, I'm so glad your agent loves your book. What a relief!

Congratulations, Putputt!

I worry, too, Elsie. I have a YA MS I wrote a year ago my agent hasn't read yet. She said to hold off sending it until she was ready, but I'm worried she'll never say she's ready. We're winding down with my other YA on sub; we've subbed two rounds (15 editors) but we've only received the standard form Rs, leading me to believe this one's not going to sell, either. I have ideas for a revision, but part of me wants to try out my new(er) shiny. But what if she doesn't like it?

Pete: Can't wait to hear it!!!

PuttPutt: That's terrific! I'm excited for you!

Elsie: I'm finishing up a manuscript right now that I'm really nervous about sending to my agent. The book that got me signed and is currently out on sub is quite experimental and has all this pomo theory it kind of trades in. It's a weird novel. And this thing I'm working on now... I think it has legs (at least most days), but it's about as realist and traditional as it gets. I honestly don't know if it will be to his tastes. Then again, I knew my agent personally before he signed me, and I thought he was going to hate the manuscript he now represents, so who knows?

So much good news all at once, yay!

And I know 6 months sounds like a long time for worldbuilding but I was also working on other projects because I needed to make some choices then step back and give them time to sink in. Then step in again and make more choices, because I just happen to work in layers like that. Also, I think in general, there are 2 ways to worldbuild second-world fantasy. One, you make it all up from scratch. Or two, you use something familiar and just kinda warp it. My WIP actually does both, so I had to make things up and then warp them til they looked familiar lol. So that required making things up and then actual real-world research. I never make things easy for myself, turns out.

I'm ready for more good news, guys!