Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Tuesday, A Day of New Roads, Excitement, and Nerves

It’s Tuesday morning, the long weekend is over and it’s back to the day job. Not that I mind the day job, in fact, I’m one of the lucky ones who enjoys what I do for the most part. But this past weekend was spent on doing the job I can’t wait to become the day/night/all the time job.

My query letter is now complete, the synopsis is complete, and the manuscript is…well, I’m not sure we ever feel it’s complete. Now it’s time to send the baby out into the world.

Scary, really when I think about it. However, it’s the next leg in the journey. The fork in this part of the road is a little darker and less traveled than the first leg of the journey. The trees are dense and you can’t see the end of the road from here. You know it’s there and you know there is still yet another fork or two coming. There aren’t as many people on this part since each of the people you’ve been on the first leg of the journey have their own forks in the road to take.

But still, as your fingers tremble ever so slightly or perhaps in an all out shake, you grab hold of the mouse and slowly edge it towards the send the button, hovering for a moment. Questions flood your mind at rapid gun fire rate. Did I remember to change the date on the query letter? I know I’ve checked the synopsis a thousand times, but should I read it one more time? Will he/she like it enough to request? Will my baby come back giggling and happy, or sad and alone?

All of these questions run through my mind at least. Funny thing, is this is not the first manuscript I’ve written or completed. It is the first one that has begged to be sent out into the world of agents/editors. Kinda like a child who grows up wanting to stay close his/her parents. For the moms out there you know what I’m taking about. The kids tell you at a young age, their going to always live with you. Even when they get married, they’ll still be with you. You find it cute, endearing, and you smile. Then they become young adults and their ready to soar on their own. You let them go because that’s what you supposed to do. You’ve raised them to be the best they can be and you send them on with a smile of satisfaction as they begin the next journey in their life. The darker road, the one less traveled, the one with more forks you cannot see or know until you reach them.

Yep, my baby is ready to be sent on and it makes me happy and scared at the same time.

What about you. How do you feel when you’re ready to send your manuscript out the door? Shaking in your boots scared? Or relief that you’ve done all you know to do and you’re ready to start the next one?

WW’s and PD’s,
Vicki

9 comments:

PatriciaW said...

Congrats on getting to the next leg of your journey!

Alyssa Goodnight said...

My hand shakes a little over the Send button too! ;)

Best of luck, and thanks so much for the link!

Karen Lingefelt said...

Vicki, what a wonderful, inspiring post!

I still get the shakes and heart palpitations from the submission process. You'd think I'd be used to it by now. But the minute I hit the send button--or turn the envelope over to the post office--the same panic-stricken questions attack me: Did I get the name right? Did I remember to sign the letter? Did I accidentally put a letter to one agency in an envelope addressed to another? Did I remember to put a stamp on that SASE?

Oddly enough, hearing back from them doesn't bother me as much.

You could really lose your mind in this biz. Of course, mine is long gone.

Vicki said...

Thanks Patricia! You'll be on the same road soon. :)

alyssa - Who knew that one little button could cause the tremors to start. You're welcome for the link, hope it helped.

Karen - It's the truth. I've opened the emails several times, just to check the names and such.

Jill James said...

Vicki, congratulations! I'm the 'shaking in her boots' kind of person. I'm always sure I forgot something just as I hit send or mail an envelope.

Unknown said...

Vicki, I can't tell you how excited I am for you in taking one of the most important steps to publication, well, that is except for writing the book. lol My hand shake and my stomach churns every time I think about it or send my baby out, that includes contests, too. heehee Good luck!!! Smooches.

Vicki said...

Jill - Thanks. I know just what you mean. :)

AM - Thank you! You've been there through this process.

mslizalou said...

Congrats Vicki! I'm a reader, not a writer, but I'm very excited for you. Best of luck!

Malicious Intent said...

Wow. I can honestly say, that even though I didn't write anything and send it out, I know exactly how you feel. My event (fundraiser) was on Thursday. You plan for months, you check your lists, you make 1000's of calls, train, compile more lists...it is something crafted by hand, by me and me only. The only way I know what the outcome will be is to "wait and see." The day of I have to let it go, turn it over to the hands I have intrusted it to and stand back and just let it happen.

So I suppose you do the very same thing. Let go, stand back and then just see what happens.

Good luck, I do hope your journey through the woods leads you down the path you want, or perhaps a path unexpected but equally exciting...that happens sometimes too!