I find myself in a very strange place. Not physically, but emotionally. It's not somewhere I ever expected to visit, and not a place that I've even skirted around the edges of.
Where am I? I'm extremely close to sending off a batch of submissions to some agencies, and I'm having doubts about whether my MS is good enough.
I'm aware that a lot of people have been here before me, but it's a bit of a shock finding myself here. About 18 months ago, before I learnt all of the stuff that would help make my book into a potentially publishable piece of work, I just thought that it was a numbers game. That it would resonate with someone, and we'd move forwards from there. At the time, I'd avoided the 'how to' books, as I was under the misapprehension that they were a 'painting by numbers' approach. When I think back to then, I'm surprised at just how naive I was, and how embarrassing it is to think that I didn't need any help.
Sorry, I seem to have wandered off track a bit. Where was I? Oh yes. Submissions.
Like I said, over confidence in believing that I could write ran rife through my head back then, but now... now I can't help thinking that maybe I could give it one more going through. Buff and polish it one more time, just in case. And then I find myself wondering; When will I know that it's finished and ready to send?
This is a tough one, Iain. I feel for you. The "How do I know if I'm ready" question is difficult to answer. Like anything, I'd say follow your gut and trust your instinct. You can't go wrong.
ReplyDeleteThanks Emily. I think it's another final round of revisions.
DeleteRemember Peggy's post: "How Do You Know When Your Manuscript is Ready?" Might be time to revisit that. :)
ReplyDeleteGood plan Carrie. I'm off there now :o)
DeleteOOH - I hate that emotional hell hole! Go read Dr. Seuss's book, "Oh the Places You'll Go." Love it! And Carrie has a great suggestion on Peggy's post! Love both those ladies. You're amazing Iain. Be brave and go for it!
ReplyDeleteI don't know that book. I'll have to look it up :o)
DeleteThanks for the support.
give in ur best and that cant go wrong ! go for it :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Goku :o)
DeleteI'm not sure you ever get that "It's finished" feeling before submitting! I think the important thing is to get to the point where you really believe in it. Because once you start submitting, it's amazing how much your belief in your book takes a hit! Make sure it is strong so it can take that hit. :) And then sometimes you have to re-read it while on submission to remind yourself that it's awesome, because something about being on sub makes it remarkably easy to forget.
ReplyDeleteThanks Peggy. I think that maybe I'm not quite there yet after all.
ReplyDeleteThe plus side is, I've got my synopsis and cover letter prepared now :o)