One of the many unavoidable facets
of the writing life is the waiting. Writers wait until their prose is polished
to perfection. We wait for feedback from writers' groups and trusted readers.
We wait for weeks, months or years for responses to our queries. Even when the
ultimate goal of publication is achieved, we wait for galley proofs, cover art,
reviews, bookstore releases, and signing tours. And sometimes--oh, the
horror--we wait for the next idea to seize our writing muscles and spur us into
action.
If your writing career is beginning to seem like an endless
stretch in a crowded doctor's office-only to find out the doctor is on vacation
and won't be back for a week-you are not alone. Other than listening to the
Musak of your internal communication system while you're on hold (which often
sounds like this: why did I query that agent--she doesn't even read thrillers!
What if a wild dog ate my manuscript? What should I change my name to when the
New York Times rips my debut novel to shreds?), what can we do to hold on to
our sanity and stick it out until our sorely tested patience pays off?
To avoid staking out your mailbox, checking your e-mail every fifteen
minutes, or haunting your Amazon listing hoping for a boost in your rank, try
these tips to get off the waiting train:
1. Write something
else. If you've just sent out half a dozen carefully targeted, well worded
queries to your dream agents or editors, resist the temptation to sit in a lawn
chair at the end of your driveway and ream out the mailman for delivering you
grocery store flyers instead of used SASEs. Plant your butt right back in front
of the computer and start something new. You may find yourself so caught up in
your new project that you miss the mail for a day or two--and discover a
pleasant surprise waiting for you when you return.
2. Do something
non-writing related. Even writers need a break. Sure, we all know going
into it that the word "vacation" would soon retreat from our vocabularies until
the memory of it became an urban legend. But there is no rule stating you can't
take a few hours to do something you enjoy. Go for a long walk, read a great
book, have lunch with a friend you haven't seen in weeks (because you were
immersed in the final stretches of revising your manuscript for the hundred and
eighth time), or take up a new hobby. Know that your writing will still be
there when you come back.
3. Do some research that will further
your writing prowess. As a writer, you no doubt have a score of ideas that
have been percolating on the back burner while you slaved over your
work-in-progress. Now that you've begun the excruciatingly long process of
delivering your baby to the world, choose one of those ideas and flesh it out.
Dig up as much information pertaining to it as you can online, and then head
over to the library to find out more. If you don't have anything specific in
mind, you can simply start reading up on something that interests you. You'll
probably find the kernel of an idea in your research that will spark a whole
new project, and soon you'll be stabbing blissfully away at your keyboard with
thoughts of important e-mails clogged in spam filters and evil, query-eating
postal employees behind you.
4. Learn a new language. You are
in the business of words, after all, so what better way to bulk up your
business than to expand your cache of raw materials? You don't have to write
your next novel in Swahili, but your life--and your writing--will be enriched
with your understanding of a whole new culture.
5. Vent your
frustrations. Write a nice, long letter to a fictitious editor at an
imaginary publishing house (or a real one if you prefer--just make sure you
don't actually send it out!) and tell them how all this waiting makes you feel.
Reveal your insecurities, question their methods, or accuse them of using the
pages of your manuscript to line their hamster cages. This can also help to
deal with the pain of rejection. Confidently assure this fictitious person that
you are an excellent writer, and won't they be sorry when Berkley offers you a
million-dollar advance and a three-book deal while they're sitting on your
manuscript for months on end.
Writers wait. It's a fact of life. You
can drive yourself crazy mentally listing the what-ifs and the should-haves
during your on-hold times, or you can get out there and improve yourself and
your craft. Instead of viewing the wait as a specialized form of torture
created to punish you for making the stupid decision to try and be a writer in
the first place, take action. Learn to see these interminable, unavoidable
waits as opportunities to grow.
Most important, keep this in mind:
somewhere out there, an editor or agent is waiting for you and your writing.
Don't disappoint them!
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