Wednesday, September 5, 2012

IWSG and Interview with Susan Oloier


It's time for the September meeting of the Insecure Writer's Support Group, hosted by Alex J. Cavanaugh, and as usual I can't believe another month has come and gone.

As I mentioned in a previous post, my "real life" job, meaning the one that pays the bills, has been very hectic the past month so I haven't had much of a chance to focus on blogging and writing. But that may be a blessing in disguise, because I am having a terrible time playing the waiting game with my novel that I submitted to a publisher earlier in the summer.

I was (and still am) thrilled to receive a request for the full ms of Polar Night and, while it's a good problem to have, it sure is hard to wait for an answer. The publisher told me they normally take about three months to respond, but I still can't help checking my e-mail constantly and hoping for a response. Of course, I know that response could be negative, so I also tell myself that waiting is definitely better than being turned down.

Still, patience is not one of my virtues, so it's been hard for me to accept that waiting (and then waiting some more) is an unavoidable part of the writing life. I knew this already from submitting queries to magazine editors, but since I tend to get more insecure with each day that passes, it's a difficult pill for me to swallow.

How do you cope with all the waiting involved in publishing? Is it something you struggle with as well?

Thanks as always to Alex for hosting this wonderful group!


On a side note, I interviewed my friend Susan Oloier, author of the recently released "Superstitions," for my books column and was thrilled to be able to write about her work. If you'd like the check the interview out, the article is available here. Thanks to Susan for chatting with me!

28 comments:

  1. It is tough. Everyone says to work on something else while waiting. Not that I do that...

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  2. I do think working on something new is a good tonic, but very hard to do sometimes. Thinking good thoughts for you and Polar Night! :-)

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  3. Waiting for a response from a publisher is such an intense form of torture. Good luck and I hope you hear something soon!

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  4. Keep busy while you're waiting - fall in love with a new project! The waiting has actually made me physically ill in the past! Not good! Best of luck :-)

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  5. I try to throw myself into a new project and pretend I don't care but the butterflies in my stomach every time I open my inbox have different ideas. :)

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  6. I cope by not submitting anything. :) That's probably not ideal. Good luck. I think keeping yourself busy is a good idea.

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  7. That's the point I start pulling my hair out. I hate waiting for an answer. And I waited a year (!) once for a publisher to get back to me. Ugh. It's a slow, slow process, but I hope you are still sending out lots of queries and not just waiting on an answer from this publisher. Gotta work it, girl!

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  8. Hi, Julie,
    Maybe that's how I got so many books written. I spent a lot of time waiting for that first publishing contract. Still, I know what it is to check and recheck the mail - just in case.

    Checking out your chat with Susan.

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  9. @Alex, that's what I'm trying to do but I'm not very good at it either.

    @EJ, thanks, I appreciate it!

    @Brinda, thank you, I hope so!

    @Linda, thanks, I can totally relate to what you say about being ill. Not there yet but it's not hard to imagine!

    @Johanna, that's exactly how I am!

    @Tonja, LOL, I can totally relate to that method of coping, I've tried that too. Thanks!

    @LG, oh, I am, or trying to anyway LOL. Oh my gosh, a year! I'll definitely be pulling my hair out if it comes to that.

    @Joy, thank you, I hope you like the interview! :)

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  10. Patience is not one of my virtues either but I'm working on it. :)

    Fingers crossed for good news from the publisher!

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  11. @Madeline, thanks for keeping your fingers crossed! :)

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  12. I'm not known for my patience, so I can empathize. I guess I try to forget about it and keep myself busy with the next project.

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  13. I always struggled with the waiting. It was horrible. A hectic job does help! :) I have all appendages crossed for you!

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  14. @Mary, I do think keeping busy is the only way to deal with it. I've always wished I had more patience but I seem to get worse instead of better!

    @Lisa, LOL, thank you for crossing all those appendages! :)

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  15. I hope you hear something good soon about Polar Nights!

    The best thing to do about the wait is to keep busy. Start writing something new. Read. Find more places to send your manuscript to.

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  16. “A watched pot … “ lol. Wishing you loads of luck and patience, Julie xx

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  17. @Cherie, thanks! I have started something new so I know I need to just focus on that.

    @Carolyn, LOL, thanks for the wishes!

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  18. That is a good problem to have! I don't have a good answer because I quickly became so impatient that I self-published. Patience isn't one of my virtues either, but I'm working on that. I hope you get the good news soon. :)

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  19. i am in that boat with you!
    waiting, not patient and doubtful...
    the name of theboat is called
    Sinking Fast!

    keeping busy hels =)

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  20. @Michael, thanks! I can totally understand becoming impatient like that, I'm not too far behind.

    @Tara, I hope we can both get out of that boat soon LOL. Good luck to you!

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  21. I 'm sure you'll hear good news soon. Sorry that it must be so frustrating, but I'm confident that it will all be worth it. Great interview with Susan! You put your all into everything that you do, and you always shine Julie!

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  22. I wish I had that problem. ;) I'm not to that point in the process. Best wishes for you and Polar Night!

    IWSG #170 ...until Alex culls the list again. :)

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  23. Honest to goodness, I thought I already left a comment on this post. Must be getting old. (Smelling too many armpits, maybe?) Anyhow, there aren't any secrets to waiting. Just keep busy, or get old. (Everybody knows time goes faster for oldsters.) Good luck. Wishing you all the best.

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  24. Hi Julie - patience is a virtue sadly! Waiting is a time of inactivity isn't it .. getting on with things, so perhaps having bill paying extra work was a good thing! Good luck and sure hope you hear soon ...

    Cheers Hilary

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  25. @Julie, you're so sweet, thanks!

    @Melissa, oh, it's great to meet you, thanks! And good luck to you as you work towards this point, I'm sure you'll be there soon.

    @Susan, LOL, hope you weren't stuck with the armpits LOL. Thanks for the good wishes!

    @Hilary, it really is just as well, I need to keep busy or I drive myself nuts with this. Thanks!

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  26. It's the waiting that really rattles nerves. No wonder they suggest working on something else--certainly helps us from going crazy :)

    Nutschell
    www.thewritingnut.com

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  27. Great IWSG post, Julie! I agree it's tough to be patient. I get antsy because I want something to happen so badly but it doesn't happen. But patience goes a long way in this world and I gotta keep reminding myself that. If you be patient, good things will happen to you and sometimes, not.

    Nice to meet you! I'm new to IWSG, great blog! I look forward to reading more! *shake hands*

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