Tuesday 6 April 2010

Part E: Expectation & Emotion

You've endearingly executed those final essential elements to your novel - you've engrossed yourself in expert advice about synopses - you've expedited queries - you've been excruciatingly rejected; eliminated from the slush - except ... you also embrace the ever expanding expectations erected by a couple of entire manuscript requests.

However, your excitement does somewhat ebb after reviewing everyone's rejections, and your exigent need for endurance is masked by erratic enthusiastic emotions, evolving exclusively from the interest of a couple of agents.

Of course, equal to eventual high expectation is enigmatic doubt. 'What if they don't enjoy it? What if they don't enjoy it and all the rest of the agents reject me? What ensues then? What will eventuate when there aren't anymore agents to query? Is my book in need of an emergency re-evaluation? Are all these years spent drafting and redrafting and editing and repairing, at the expense of my esteem, all a waste? What then?'

How do you evolve as a writer when high expectation is no longer endorsed and ebullient energy is erased? How do you embark on your next enterprise and still exhibit high self-esteem?

I'd like to say I never ever wanted to give up this endeavor. But I have wanted to give up many times and I don't think that emotion will ever expire. In the end, we writers all know what we want. But we all hang our hopes onto emaciated threads that can't endure our excess baggage.

But we shouldn't let our emotions run away with our eternal eagerness to enforce ambition. Keep engaging in earnest determination toward your goal, no matter how long it takes. Because you're going to keep writing anyway, and you will evermore take pride in what elates you. Even when rejection electrocutes the only energy you think you have left, you will encounter the pain and then continue to write. Right?

16 comments:

  1. Have you had many rejection slips?
    For an author I think it might be one of the worst things to happen but then again as you mentioned (I'm sure you did, didn't you)it makes you think about how you can alter your writing to make it more acceptable - to at least one of the publishing houses
    How 'do' you deal with it - how 'do' you calm down after all those slips come in the door?
    Tell us in another post AA please

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  2. I guess I wouldn't mind a rejection slip, provided I know that the person actually give my manuscript a fair trial, and genuinely did not think it worthy of publication. But unless the rejection letter is upto standard, how can we ever be sure of that?
    Great post.

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  3. Cathy, yes I shall be dealing with this for 'F' :)

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  4. Rejection is not a nice thing but reading your post I did notice all the "E" words. most ingenious I must say. Enjoyed the read as always.

    Yvonne.

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  5. I will take it on the nose. I will just get back to writing, it is something I love doing. Nothing will spoil that pleasure.

    Brilliant E post!

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  6. Oh, this was fabulous! You pegged the emotion and I LOVED your variety of E words. Made it entertaining word wise, as well as in terms of content.

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  7. I've come to accept the notion, any rejections I receive will mean the criticizing of my manuscript will be done more harshly by myself, than the person who rejected it.

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  8. #1 congrats on your award
    #2 thanks for the links to new bloggers
    #3 I love, love, love that cartoon!!! :-)

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  9. Rejections... sigh. They're a part of any writer's life, but it doesn't make 'em any easier to deal with. I just try to remember that every rejection is a statistical stepping stone, leading to someone actually picking up your work and deciding to publish it.

    Keep your chin up... you'll get that acceptance letter soon. :D

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  10. Wow! You're doing so well in the blogging challenge. Sorry I haven't commented more, but I have been reading. Love it!

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  11. Wow! Once again you did it! I'm blown away every time I read your entries... you have some talent there! Thank you for frequently visiting my page... I greatly appreciate it! :-) Keep it up... and I know you will!

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  12. Personally, writing is what I do and is my therapy...I'm gonna do it whether I'm published or not, good self esteem or not. I can't do without it.

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  13. I loved how many 'E' words you used in this. Brilliant :)

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  14. Thanks so much everyone for your flattering comments. It really means a lot to me! Caledonia Lass: no probs - really. It's so hard to get to everyone. I think I pretty much read everyones but I don't comment at least a quarter of them if I can't think what to say immediately. I just don't have time. Thanks for all your efforts to keep in contact with mine!

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