The Next Circle of Hell, Vol. 2

Oh my gosh, these are all so interesting! I totally relate about hating office culture, but right now I'm only doing that part-time so it's alright. I just want to create some kind of career that allows me to mostly write books and do part-time, non-stressful gigs on the side. Or one day...teach creative writing! My dream.

I try to write creatively at least once a day, if I have time, and at least for 30 minutes to an hour, or more if it's a weekend and I'm on a roll. I'm not a morning person so I do my best work in the evenings or late at night.

I'm currently enrolled in a full-time MFA program and just started a part-time, 24-hour a week internship at a literary agency for the semester. This leaves me room to write a lot for my workshops and still do my schoolwork since my job (so far) isn't very demanding. As long as they don't want my editorial work to be extended to outside of office hours, I'm good! Kind of nervous about that but I think I can make it work.

I love writing but I get stuck a lot, and being in school with constant feedback has been very helpful in helping me reframe how I write. I get inspired reading my classmate's writing, the books we read for class, and going to student readings.

Niiicola said:

YES!!! Nobody ever gets that (and I really can't blame them, as it doesn't quite work in text). My friends used to yell that down my college dorm hall *cough*700*cough* years ago. That is too funny!

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I suppose you have to be a Nicole of a certain age to get it

Totally agree with the rest of your post, too!

Popping in to say 'hi'! I am still querying. It's been hard. I feel like I went backwards (was on sub with this book and before that it took me 2 months to get 4 offers of rep, now sitting at almost month 6 with no query end in sight ), but I have hope it will find a new agent.

To answer your question, pinkbow, I am in grad school full time for 2 Master's Degrees (yes 2 masters at once I am a lot) w/a part time job. I do very little writing. I did, over the holiday break, write 15 pages of a new project I am excited about---but I can't seem to get into it. I keep daydream like excitedly but...the words won't seem to come onto the page. I'm giving it some time.

Smiley, can you approach the other agents who offered? It seems like they would understand, lots of people split with agents for whatever reason. I'd query them first. But what do I know?

I'm debating how long to wait in silence before making the break, since, as far as I know, I'm still on sub. But I'm not really sure how I will know when the list has been exhausted, and I didn't want to do it while on sub.

Smiley. I agree with Lena--maybe approach the other agents who offered?

Ugh, Lena, that's tough. Wishing you the best for whatever you decide...

My day job is attorney, and I'm lucky--it's nine to five and not too stressful. Lately, though, I've been plowed under with assignments, which is a bit unusual (and has significantly cut into my writing time--grrrr).

Ugh Smiley, that does suck:-( is it the same book ??

Wow, a lot of attorneys around here!!

Smiley, you're trying to query the manuscript you originally got four offers on? Have you re-approached the other agents who originally offered? I know a few people who parted ways with agents and ended up signing with someone they'd originally turned down.

Just sent my agent the R&R an editor requested a couple of months ago... Hopefully the agent likes it and hopefully it's what the editor was looking for! Regardless, I think the MS is much improved so the edits should help with sub even if this editor doesn't work out.

RRK said:

Just sent my agent the R&R an editor requested a couple of months ago... Hopefully the agent likes it and hopefully it's what the editor was looking for! Regardless, I think the MS is much improved so the edits should help with sub even if this editor doesn't work out.

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It's always good to get those professional opinions & suggestions! I know my R&R w an agent was eye opening and made the ms soooo much better. I've used her suggestions when editing everything since then. I hope your editor snaps it up this time!

Sorry to hear that! What happened to your agent from before?

Lena Hillbrand said:

It's always good to get those professional opinions & suggestions! I know my R&R w an agent was eye opening and made the ms soooo much better. I've used her suggestions when editing everything since then. I hope your editor snaps it up this time!

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Thank you! Yes, getting revision advice from an editor was intimidating but so helpful. Most of our rejections have had inconsistent feedback, so this is the first time we've had clear direction. Fingers crossed...

Kind of tired of twiddling my thumbs over here. I have been desperate to get the ball rolling for nearly a year now, and I don't feel like we've made any progress. Yes, publishing is slow, but it's all very frustrating. *Sigh*

It's a shiny new week! I wonder if all the editors in NY are snowed in...under piled and drifts of manuscripts. Several of them mine.

Joy/Lena, etc. I approached the other agents: one rejected and two are reading. But it's frustrating. I feel like I have moved terribly backwards. I got an R&R on this book a month or so ago, which I passed on. I have a bunch of fulls out so I'm not worried. Just very impatient.

Got marked-up manuscript back. Gosh, at the end of this I'm looking at 50% of the MS excised and rewritten before it goes on sub. Luckily it's just plot wrangling. I'm off work for a month so I can focus solely on getting it fixed.

And then maybe sub. MAYBE.

An R just dribbled in. The editor said the MS was "fun and irreverent" with a "really nice voice" but wasn't "the sort of big commercial project" they are looking for now. Can't something that's fun also be big and commercial? Sigh.

I got another nibble this morning. Just a nibble...but still. It is encouraging. And distracting. I write just fine when I get R's, but give me a whiff of praise and a drop of hope and my mind goes numb.

Sorry about your R Hathor. I think something 'fun and irreverent' with a 'really nice voice' will find a home soon.

I'm with Bunny, Hathor: it just needs to hit the right editor at the right time. Keeping my fingers crossed for you.

And, Bunny, congrats on the nibble. I hope it turns into even better news soon.

Okay, after a solid year of gut-wrenching, soul-killing edit and revisions, it went back out an hour ago.

I'm very angry there has not been a big-number offer yet. My agent must be a slacker. Also, two feet of snow next week.

Thanks for the support everyone.

Keeping my fingers crossed about your nibble, Bunny, and your renewed sub, whip.

On the bright side, I like reading praise for my voice after having one editor specifically say he wasn't that taken with it.

My agent is now reviewing the initial sub possibility list (big imprints) to see if there's anyone left that would be would be worth approaching now. We're not at the point of going to small presses yet. She thinks the editors will respond at some point, so I've decided to be patient. For now.

Hathor -- every year when awards season rolls around, there are editors smacking their heads and saying, "I passed on that book. WHAT WAS I THINKING!"

The same thing happens every time a book goes best seller.

I bet your book is going to cause some serious head smacking one of these days.

BunnyHopkins said:

Hathor -- every year when awards season rolls around, there are editors smacking their heads and saying, "I passed on that book. WHAT WAS I THINKING!"

The same thing happens every time a book goes best seller.

I bet your book is going to cause some serious head smacking one of these days.

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Ah, sweet of you to say. I can dream, right? We all can.

I guess we have to or it's hard to slog through all this.

Hathor, sorry for the R! But I agree with the others that this just means you need to find the right editor for your book.

Bunny, keeping my fingers crossed for your nibble! And I know what you mean. Any time I hear a hint of good news I try not to obsess over it too much but I still do.

Funaek said:

And I know what you mean. Any time I hear a hint of good news I try not to obsess over it too much but I still do.

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LOL. I obsess over everything.

Moonchild said:

LOL. I obsess over everything.

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I obsess over the amount of obsessing I do.