Suspended animation (waiting for Godot)

[pbray]

Last night I woke abruptly from a dream in which I was reading the revision letter for the manuscript I'd sent in earlier this month. In the letter, my editor gently pointed out that I'd inserted a huge chunk of fanfic in the middle of the book, and I should be prepared to cut that section. She didn't think that we could get licensing rights for that property--particularly since I'd killed off one of their main characters.

I called my editor to discuss and informed her that the character in question NEEDED TO DIE. The ever-patient Anne agreed, and then pointed out, once again, the issue of licensing.

I awoke half-convinced that I had indeed received that revision letter and it took a while for me to realize that it was all part of a dream. When the heavy plow came down the road on its second pass, I realized that this was probably what had originally awoken me.

I can't remember which TV show the dream referenced--it might have been Heroes or CSI. But I'm pretty darn sure that there isn't a chunk of fanfic in the manuscript I sent, and I know I haven't killed off anyone else's characters. Despite how much they need to die.

I suppose it just goes to show what the mind will come up with when it's fretting. There's nothing quite like that awful silence between the time you deliver a manuscript and the time you get your first feedback--especially when it's a project where you're not sure if it worked or not. It's a bit like that moment where you slam into an obstacle and you're waiting for the pain to register to figure out how badly you're hurt. Now just imagine that moment stretching out for weeks....

Optimism. It's for other people.

Comments

[sylvia-rachel.livejournal.com]

Sanity. It's for people who aren't writers.

Truer words were never spoken!!

What are these good habits of which you speak (apart from not falling to pieces every time a reader says "this paragraph doesn't work")?

[pbray.livejournal.com]

Well everyone has their own definition of good habits. For me, I define it as developing ways to cope with the ups & downs of a writer's life.

For example, if you can't handle negative feedback when you're an aspiring writer, then you're going to be in trouble the first time your agent/editor tells you that your favorite scene isn't working.

There's no one right way to deal with this--the key is figuring out what works for you. Some writers simply shrug it off and immediately begin discussing other ways of achieving the same effect. Others need to go off in a corner for a while for a private sulk before they can think about how to fix the story, or spend quality time whining to their friends about the fundamental unfairness of the universe.

I've gotten my routines down pat. I know that reading Amazon.com reviews will drive me crazy, so I don't. Ditto for fan letters--if I'm in the middle of writing new material I can't read them, so I let a friend screen them for me.

I read the revision letter when it arrives, and then let in sink in for twenty-four hours before responding. When I'm upset I make my friends take me out for alcohol, chocolate (or better yet both), so I can get all the whining out of my system. Then when I'm speaking with my agent or editor I can behave as a professional, because I've already had my tantrums in private.

Strangely enough, good news also involves writer friends, and public celebrations with alcohol and chocolate, so it's an all-purpose routine.

[sylvia-rachel.livejournal.com]

Thanks for this.

A year ago I'd have said I was doomed, but I'm now getting quite good at receiving criticism in a spirit of non-despair.

I can see why one would want to refrain from reading amazon.com reviews ... although reading them after a bottle or so of wine might be rather fun ...