What to do while you wait?

Maria Ale Barrios · Jan 1, 2018

First of all, happy new year writers!

During the last few weeks, I've done more submitting than I'm used to (I quit my job so more free time ha). The way that it worked in the past was that I submitted to two or three publications and then proceeded to wait forever. Right now my submittable has like 20 awaiting submissions and like five more through email, which is great.

And here comes the but: I'm driving myself crazy, I look at my email all day long, and I'm just in a state where I'm waiting all day. I've done a little bit of writing and reading and some semi-social stuff, but nothing takes my mind off submissions and responses. Tips for sanity? What do you guys do while waiting for a response? Help?

Btw, I'm no stranger to rejection is more the not knowing part that drives me a little bit crazy.

Maryn · Jan 1, 2018

What works for me may not work for anybody else, but I try to get engrossed in a new project, so much that I'm all outlines and ideas and research and barely think about what's on sub. I can't always do it, but when it works, it's great.

Filigree · Jan 1, 2018

Same here. Preferably in a completely different field. I'm wired such that whatever I'm working on at the moment becomes my brain's Most Important Thing, so shiny art projects tend to wipe out my immediate emotional investment in writing projects, and vice versa. It also means I 'stack' incomplete projects eight to ten at a time. But it sure is fun when I finish those suckers one after another.

Maria Ale Barrios · Jan 1, 2018

That's great advice,

I'm working on a short story collection so I might as well just focus on finishing that. However, I know it won't be easy. I'm going to start writing another short story for the collection and hope that I stop checking my email every 4 seconds.

Thank you, guys!

ForeverYoursCaffiene · Jan 1, 2018

Maria Ale Barrios said:
First of all, happy new year writers!

During the last few weeks, I've done more submitting than I'm used to (I quit my job so more free time ha). The way that it worked in the past was that I submitted to two or three publications and then proceeded to wait forever. Right now my submittable has like 20 awaiting submissions and like five more through email, which is great.

And here comes the but: I'm driving myself crazy, I look at my email all day long, and I'm just in a state where I'm waiting all day. I've done a little bit of writing and reading and some semi-social stuff, but nothing takes my mind off submissions and responses. Tips for sanity? What do you guys do while waiting for a response? Help?

Btw, I'm no stranger to rejection is more the not knowing part that drives me a little bit crazy.

I'm in between two thoughts: 1) Work on the next book while waiting, or 2) Treat your written book as a product and sell it to agents. Writers tend to, well, write. However, that's only 20% of the job. The other 80% is treating it as a business. All we want to do is tell stories, but there's that whole other end that not many are prepared to do or know how to do well, so we did all that hard work writing and let the business side go too early in favor of a new story to write. I would only do so if I had lukewarm faith in the finished book.

Maria Ale Barrios · Jan 1, 2018

Thank you!

At the minute, I'm sending short stories to publishers (Magazines, contests) no book yet haha but it is a good idea. In an ideal world I would spend half of my day writing and half of my day submitting. But we'll see...hopefully it can be done.

Best of luck to you too

Old Hack · Jan 2, 2018

Focus on your writing. Always focus on your writing.

And consider getting another job. Writing is not going to make your living for you if you're writing short pieces. Not for a long time yet.

rocoroca · Jan 2, 2018

General advice is to always be working on your next project. But for me, my waiting period has so far consisted of 1) catching up on the mountain of to-dos I neglected while working on manuscript (my house has never been cleaner), 2) consuming loads of movies, tv, and books to generate ideas for my next project, and 3) finally crawling out of my hermit cave to mingle with human beings outside my immediate family.

I think it's normal to feel what you do when you've just submitted recently. Time will shave off that nervous energy

Maria Ale Barrios · Jan 2, 2018

Hello, Old Hack!

Thanks for the advice. Yeah, I know that. The thing is that I won a fellowship to a writer's residence for a month, in March. My job was obviously like "No way, " but I didn't like it anyway, so for me, it was a no-brainer. I'll look for a job after that

Rocoroca,

Thank you for the kind words. You're right! I'm not new to submitting but I am new to submitting this much. I think today I'll do more writing and I'll organize my books alphabetically haha

Layla Nahar · Jan 2, 2018

1) Start your next story
2) Limit your email checking. Frex, you could do 'marketing mornings' and do all email concerning your writing between, say 11:00 and 12:00; you could do that only on M, W, F. If you get a response on Tuesday, it will be there when you look at your mail on Wednesday.

polishmuse · Jan 2, 2018

Good advice so far. The only other thing I would add is that reading is fuel for me while on sub/just after finishing projects. Discover new authors, read more poetry/flash or another genre that you might not explore and it's likely to take your mind off the waiting and onto better things.
Congrats on the fellowship!

Curlz · Jan 2, 2018

I go out for walks :e2bouncey

Maria Ale Barrios · Jan 2, 2018

You guys are the best!

Thank so much for all the great advice. Yeah, I do need to limit my email checking.

Polishmuse,

Thanks! You're right. I'm going to organize my bookshelves to see what books I haven't read, and I'm going to make reading purposes for 2018 to get me motivated.

This thread is also helping. Thanks, guys.

Maria Ale Barrios · Jan 2, 2018

Curlz, I live in the Caribbean so walks are impossible due to the heat haha I love going on walks though. Maybe at night

Serddar · Jan 2, 2018

I try to do something connected to writing but in a different way, maybe catching up to a documentary about someone or certain philosophy of their work and so on.

What to do while you wait?

Maria Ale Barrios

Maryn

Baaa!

Filigree

Mildly Disturbing

Maria Ale Barrios

ForeverYoursCaffiene

Maria Ale Barrios

Old Hack

Such a nasty woman

rocoroca

Maria Ale Barrios

Layla Nahar

Seashell Seller

polishmuse

I'm a cookie

Curlz

cutsie-pie

Maria Ale Barrios

Maria Ale Barrios

Serddar