Tippity Tap, What am I Doing Anyhow?

This is interesting: I don’t know what I’m doing.

It’s not that I don’t know what I’m doing with a writing project, or, that I don’t know what I’m doing with finding a publisher, or promoting myself, or developing the next novel or anything and everything to do with my writing life.

I’m so scattered thinking about all these things at once, that I, literally, don’t know what I’m doing. In some ways I’ve ground to a halt. Go here, go there, do this, do that…What next?

1. Revise the first novel, the practise novel, for my agent to peruse in hopes that she might want to sell it. In fact, I’m about 200 pages into this effort now, but, I don’t know. Can’t decide how I’m feeling about it — worth the continued effort or forever the practice novel?

2. Besides, I have the current novel, the one that I deem publishable, the one my agent declined to peddle to smaller publishers after 37 rejections from the big boys. So, it’s up to me: Submit to small presses. Do the research.

3. I’ve been so restless lately, maybe I should spend a little time researching and submitting applications to artists colonies and the like.

4. But then, there’s this other novel, one I haven’t mentioned on this blog. One that’s a hot mess. Perhaps this is the one to send to the agent next?

5. No, no, back to the completed novel. It takes place in Ireland. What about researching and submitting to U.K./Irish publishers? I’d need a U.K. agent for that, I suspect, and before I head in that direction I’d need to chat with my actual agent.

6. Chat with my agent. Yep. Gotta do it. What about her agency’s subsidiary agents over there? If I begged, would she consider submitting to a few small presses that require agented submissions?

7. But then, there’s my latest novel, the first draft I finished in July. What to do about it? It follows on the completed novel in many ways, so since that got rejected…Revise it so stands alone or go on faith that the completed novel will sell at some point?

8. I might have to go back to Italy (previous post) to think about all this.

9. But, how could I forget the two ideas percolating at the moment, both of them equally vague and unlikely? Maybe I should forget all of the above and start with a new idea and use all I’ve learned to write a novel that will truly get me published. Story development and first draft to equal the next year of my life.

10. Maybe I should pipe down and wait for the anthology story to be published in April, 2009. Maybe I’ll get feedback or a positive mention somewhere (I can hope!) that will inspire a good strategy decision.

11. Maybe I should look for a job.

(Yee gads, not that — forget I mentioned it.)

12. And what about short stories? Haven’t I been aching to get a grip on that form?

13. Read The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People?

6 comments on “Tippity Tap, What am I Doing Anyhow?

  • LOL! And thought it was only me. I love Fall, but am no longer so good at the transition. . .

    Lisa, forget #11 and 13. Yes, these exist in the realm of possibility, but they won’t help you write. Jmo.

    Reply
  • I recommend Number 8 and avoid Number 13.

    Thanks for visiting my l’il blog! I’m trying not to go on news blackout but it’s kind of hard. Good luck with all of your writing!

    Reply
  • Hi Kathryn and mari, #13 is definitely out, isn’t it? So is #11…As for the others? I’m inclined toward #1 and #2 at the moment — maybe no surprise since they popped into my head first…But still…I don’t know…:-)

    Reply
  • Regarding number 1…I heard a quote that it isn’t the writer’s job to worry about how good the story is. Just write, and let the editor tell you if it’s any good 😉

    Finish it for yourself. That’s a long journey, onyl to quit.

    And drop number 13 and get some coffee instead 😉

    Reply
  • Welcome S William! You’re right about that: I’d regret it if I didn’t see the revision through — I might just be in the middle-of-the-novel slump anyhow. Been there, done that — it goes away.

    #13 SO off the list now!

    P.S. Checked out your blog: love the format, nice designing whoever did that for you.

    Reply

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