Friday 13 March 2009

Anyone still there?

Wouldn't be surprised of you'd all given up and wandered off elsewhere by now. Anyway if anyone is still out there - I'm Back. Frazzled , dazed and requiring an 'I must never do anything like that again' sticker on my forehead, but back nonetheless.

I'll spare you the details (I've saved them for hubby dearest and my coffee morning friends who keep promising me I'm not boring them, honest). But basically I've been working too much and playing too little. Culmination was two weeks underground (well in a TV studio gallery with no natural light which amounts to the same thing in my limited experience) for hours on end with about ten zillion quiz questions flying past me as I shouted: "Correct!" "Wrong" "Erm, give me a minute on that one".

'Tis all done and dusted now though and I'm back to normal (Ha!).

In amongst the madness I have passed a major milestone in my writing career - on Tuesday I submitted the synopsis and first three chapters of my novel to an agent - Eeek. I now have to do what I am most rubbish at - be patient. I know that even a flat rejection could take months. So I really must stop jumping up every time the phone rings and checking my emails every two minutes.

I'm filling the time in going over my manuscript with a beady eye, tweaking and twaddling - and thank goodness I did because yesterday I discovered that my character's brother who is two years younger than her at the beginning of the story transmogrified into her elder brother by the end. How did that happen? It's not meant to be sci-fi. Have now righted that particular wrong (opted for the younger brother option as that was what I originally intended.) Just hope I've not missed any other major inconsitencies along the way.

Next job is to wade through my womag resubbing opportunites and get them sent out again, write my first SAF story in about three months and have a look through Sally's excellent comps calender to see what's coming up. Oh and then there's the tricky issue of Novel #2 - I really must start scribbling down some ideas.

9 comments:

Siobhán said...

Came across you via the Balck Box. Good luck with the novel.

Queenie said...

Hello, I'm still here, and amazed that you managed to sort out a novel submission in among all that work - well done! Am hoping to take a little time out today to go shopping for sugared almonds :-)

Val said...

welcome back and yes - still here! congrats on all you have achieved. certainly sounds you have been busy and successful. best of luck with the mss

Honeysuckle said...

You did sound like you had an awful lot on your plate in one of two previous posts...take it easy for a while.

Sherri said...

What a busy time! Don't forget to breathe, will you?

And good luck with the novel sub.

Jen said...

Cor blimey, you have been a busy girl! Still here... you can't get rid of us that easily. Good luck with the agent...I imagine the suspense is torture!

Karen said...

You've really had your hands full!

Best of luck with the submission, I'll be keeping my fingers crossed for you :o))

Pat Posner said...

Good luck with the agent! Good luck with the waiting, too - sending 'patience dust' your way.

Jumbly Girl said...

Phew, thanks for your patience.

SJW - thanks for popping by and for your good wishes

Queenie - hope the sugared almonds help

Val - thank you!

Honeysuckle - I keep trying to take it easy but then new thngs happen - proabbly should learn to say no, but I'm worried I wuold get bored

Bernadette -eek breathing! knew I'd forgotten something :o)

Spiral - I'm down to checking my emails every half an hour now, which is a steady improvement. But I did jump off the loo to answer the phone this morning, and was a bit sharp with the poor lad from Brtish Gas who wasn't the good news bearing literary agent I'de been hoping for.

Karen - thanks muchly - hope your fingers don't get cramped - it could be a long wait!

Pat - Ooh lovely, 'patience dust' just what I need, I will inhale it deeply - ta!