The Waiting Season

“To everything, there is a season…” Ecclesiastes 3:1

I am in a season of waiting, and as seasons go, it is not my favorite. Writers do lots of waiting, so you’d think I’d be used to it by now. Waiting to hear back from critique partners. Waiting to hear back from agents. Waiting to hear back from editors. Waiting for reviews, for launch, to be paid…

A wise writer will work while she waits, but waiting is still anguish.

This morning, I decided to have a bite to eat and then read my Bible. So, I picked yogurt with M&M’s, thinking it would be healthy enough. Two bites in, I realized the yogurt had spoiled. So, I tossed it. A little while later, I grabbed an oatmeal cream pie as a replacement. The first bite had a hair baked in it. *shudders* I threw it away too. At this point, I gave up on breakfast and read a few chapters.

I’d like to tell you that the chapters hit the spot and soothed my waiting heart. Sometimes that happens. But what I read didn’t give me much peace this morning.

Then, perfection. My husband walked in with a Bojangles bag. Totally unexpected! The bag contained not just one biscuit for me, but two—in case one wasn’t enough!

Isn’t that just like God? He knows our love languages (one of mine is obviously Bojangles), and He meets us right where we are to remind us that He’s taking care of us. And so today, because of those biscuits, I feel more peace in the waiting—more peace in knowing that God has a great agent out there for me. I can rest in His goodness and timing.

What are you waiting for today? 

In Love With Love

My littlest is in love with the idea of having a puppy. We emailed in a rescue application for a particular fur baby. They called our veterinarian. Things were hopping along, until I checked Petfinder and discovered someone else had adopted the cutie over the weekend. My little one cried. SOBBED.

Until I showed her a new puppy…with a fat little puppy belly…and pleading puppy eyes. Then my daughter fell in love. Again.

Sometimes we’re in love with an idea more than an individual.

This happened to me in college. I was dancing with my friends in a club, when I noticed a quiet guy watching from the corner. He’s probably shy…and smart…and funny…and perfect for me, I thought. In reality, he was shy, but not funny. He was sure UFO’s existed and visited often. I would look up during random times of my day and find him watching me. Not the romantic, sweet, sort of watching. The creepy sort of SomeoneDoACriminalBackgroundCheck watching. Yeah. Not so perfect for me after all.

Writers can do this with agents and editors. There are awesome professionals scouting for talent on Twitter and blog contests, but there are also people out there who call themselves agents and editors that don’t do either well. When a request comes from someone, ANYONE, it’s hard not to get excited. But a savvy writer will check out them out thoroughly before deciding whether or not to submit their work to them.

Has this ever happened to you? Have you ever been in love with the idea more than the individual? Tell us about it in the comment section. Substitute Bob or Bobbette to avoid naming names!

 

The Agent Crush & Why You Should Play the Field

When I married Scott, I thought my days of crushes were over---well, not the celebrity crushes because we’re allowed to keep five of those, right? But on my writer’s journey I’ve discovered a new type of crush that brings back high school insecurities and squeezes my heart in an equally intense way. The Agent Crush. It’s inevitable that as we’re researching to find the best agent for our book someone wonderful will make our hearts cry “If only.” We’re checking websites and blogs and interviews. We’re watching Querytracker to see how they respond to other writers. And then there’s Twitter—a social network that helps us hang on their every word. *sigh*


For me, one of the toughest things about starting the querying process was querying the second agent. You see, I’m a loyal gal. When I commit to someone, I quit looking for other options. But here’s the thing: Until an agent has committed to you, it’s wise to “play the field.” Here’s why:

1.      Self-Preservation. You’re not going to give up if your top choice rejects you. There are other agents in the literary sea, and it will be balm to your soul to have seen that for yourself if a rejection letter pops up in your inbox.

2.      Choices. One of the advantages in sending out simultaneous submissions (querying more than one agency at the same time with the same manuscript) is the possibility of having more than one offer of representation. Talking to the agents will give you a feel for their level of enthusiasm for your manuscript. The fabulous agent to your favorite author may feel a little “Meh” about your writing and may not make selling it as much of a priority. A newer agent may be bursting at the seams to unleash your masterpiece.

3.      Finding an agent (for most writers) is a slow process. Sometimes it will be months before you hear back from someone. Sometimes you won’t hear back at all. You owe it to your manuscript…you owe it to the kid waiting to read your book to get your work in the hands of more than one possibility.

So go ahead, doodle your favorite agent’s name in gel pen on your hot pink Post-it notes. There’s no judgment here. But keep your options open. There may be an agent of awesome waiting in the wings.

How do you handle agent crushes? Comment below to share.