It's so tough how actually talking with your spouse ends up happening when you're both the most tired, way at the end of the day. I hear you.
I'm excited about your novel! From my little bit of experience, I would say that persistence and determination are key with taking it to the next step with agents. Don't give up if you get some rejections at firsst. The agent/publisher will be looking for fit -- you have to keep trying until there's a match: you and your work matches them and their needs.
Thank you for the encouragement, Dixie! Yeah, I've been witnessing writing friends go through several rejections so I'm trying to be hopeful but also realistic. It almost feels like 25 years ago applying for colleges--finding a good fit and hoping you make the selectivity cut. Some agents only take on 1 or 2 new clients a month but they get a 100 (or more) queries a month.
I'm trying to focus on selecting agents who are looking for what I've written and making sure I spell that out in the query letter, as well as leverage connections (query agents my friends have a personal relationship with). We'll see how it goes!!
This resonates on a lot of points! My kids are older teens now, but I remember the chaos of the younger years, and I remember there was a moment when I thought, “This is why our kids don’t leave home before 18, and why they desperately need hands-on parents who are willing to teach, rinse, repeat.” Our eldest started college this year and while she’s thriving there are so many things I’m sure we should have touched on. It’s hard and wonderful.
Sure sounds like you’re a writer! Your description of what you like about writing novels is exactly what I love about it. And I’m still self conscious about talking about writing them, too.
*hug* from one self conscious writer to another. What do you write? Are you published or seeking publication?
Thank you for the affirmations on kids. It REALLY is good to hear this from parents further down the journey. And we do have wonderful moments at this stage too. :)
Congrats on getting one off to college!! We can't possibly cover everything. You covered the things you thought were most important and I think that's the most any of us can do. I hope that my family, friends, neighbors, homeschool coop teachers and people from church can fill in the gaps I miss.
I'm SO thankful for the extra people who surround us and support us and our kids! My list of those are the same as yours--each of those groups has someone who has been able to help my kids grow. The other thing I thought of after I posted is how, the greatest thing we pray for our kids, is that they will have a personal, active love relationship with Christ. And it's the trickiest, because while we can "spread the feast" for them, they have to step up to the table and eat.
I do write :) . Last year and the year before my Daughter of Arden Trilogy was published by Bandersnatch Books--it was a project about 25 years in the making! Now, though, it means I'm back at the beginning, with a book tugging at my mind and heart, but not on paper yet. I keep thinking, "How did I do this before?" It's like I have to relearn everything.
I actually don’t have an agent, though I have friends that have gone that route. I went directly to Bandersnatch Books, an indie publishing group, mainly ‘cause I knew the team (one is actually my sister, so she made sure one of the others in the group read my work before they contracted with me 😄). I’m not sure I ever would have pulled things together enough to find an agent!
I love how you put that: Spread feast for them to decide to step up and eat.
Congrats on publication!! That's fantastic! And I'm glad I'm not the only "slow" writer. The book I'm querying is one I've been working on for over a decade. Part of it is the season of life I'm in. But I think I do a lot of writing in my brain before it ever takes shape on paper.
I do feel like keep humans alive deserves a medal. Doing anything else on top of that is just frosting in terms of accomplishments, though perhaps more important than frosting in terms of soul feeding . Also, I'm so excited you're out of the novelist closet.
Thank you, Abby. And thank you for reminding me that what I'm doing IS soul feeding. We all can do that for other humans, whether we are parents or not. It's probably the most important thing we can do for another person (or animal!)
It's so tough how actually talking with your spouse ends up happening when you're both the most tired, way at the end of the day. I hear you.
I'm excited about your novel! From my little bit of experience, I would say that persistence and determination are key with taking it to the next step with agents. Don't give up if you get some rejections at firsst. The agent/publisher will be looking for fit -- you have to keep trying until there's a match: you and your work matches them and their needs.
Good luck!
Thank you for the encouragement, Dixie! Yeah, I've been witnessing writing friends go through several rejections so I'm trying to be hopeful but also realistic. It almost feels like 25 years ago applying for colleges--finding a good fit and hoping you make the selectivity cut. Some agents only take on 1 or 2 new clients a month but they get a 100 (or more) queries a month.
I'm trying to focus on selecting agents who are looking for what I've written and making sure I spell that out in the query letter, as well as leverage connections (query agents my friends have a personal relationship with). We'll see how it goes!!
This resonates on a lot of points! My kids are older teens now, but I remember the chaos of the younger years, and I remember there was a moment when I thought, “This is why our kids don’t leave home before 18, and why they desperately need hands-on parents who are willing to teach, rinse, repeat.” Our eldest started college this year and while she’s thriving there are so many things I’m sure we should have touched on. It’s hard and wonderful.
Sure sounds like you’re a writer! Your description of what you like about writing novels is exactly what I love about it. And I’m still self conscious about talking about writing them, too.
*hug* from one self conscious writer to another. What do you write? Are you published or seeking publication?
Thank you for the affirmations on kids. It REALLY is good to hear this from parents further down the journey. And we do have wonderful moments at this stage too. :)
Congrats on getting one off to college!! We can't possibly cover everything. You covered the things you thought were most important and I think that's the most any of us can do. I hope that my family, friends, neighbors, homeschool coop teachers and people from church can fill in the gaps I miss.
I'm SO thankful for the extra people who surround us and support us and our kids! My list of those are the same as yours--each of those groups has someone who has been able to help my kids grow. The other thing I thought of after I posted is how, the greatest thing we pray for our kids, is that they will have a personal, active love relationship with Christ. And it's the trickiest, because while we can "spread the feast" for them, they have to step up to the table and eat.
I do write :) . Last year and the year before my Daughter of Arden Trilogy was published by Bandersnatch Books--it was a project about 25 years in the making! Now, though, it means I'm back at the beginning, with a book tugging at my mind and heart, but not on paper yet. I keep thinking, "How did I do this before?" It's like I have to relearn everything.
Also, do you have an agent? If so, what was your process like signing with one?
Yeah, I do a lot of head writing....
I actually don’t have an agent, though I have friends that have gone that route. I went directly to Bandersnatch Books, an indie publishing group, mainly ‘cause I knew the team (one is actually my sister, so she made sure one of the others in the group read my work before they contracted with me 😄). I’m not sure I ever would have pulled things together enough to find an agent!
An agent is just one path. The important thing is getting your books to your audience, which sounds like you are doing. :)
I love how you put that: Spread feast for them to decide to step up and eat.
Congrats on publication!! That's fantastic! And I'm glad I'm not the only "slow" writer. The book I'm querying is one I've been working on for over a decade. Part of it is the season of life I'm in. But I think I do a lot of writing in my brain before it ever takes shape on paper.
(Oh, and Slugs and Bugs was a huge part of my kids' formation, too. It still goes on now and then!)
My kids LOVE it. :)
I do feel like keep humans alive deserves a medal. Doing anything else on top of that is just frosting in terms of accomplishments, though perhaps more important than frosting in terms of soul feeding . Also, I'm so excited you're out of the novelist closet.
Thank you, Abby. And thank you for reminding me that what I'm doing IS soul feeding. We all can do that for other humans, whether we are parents or not. It's probably the most important thing we can do for another person (or animal!)