Worse than Rejection

Friday, June 17, 2011
What's worse than rejection, you say?

WAITING!

Ack. Nasty, I know.

But when you send off that story of yours, you shouldn't think about the wait. You should move on to the next story, or take a break from writing altogether. Spend some time with the family, go out with friends, take a walk, read a book. You should definitely make good use of your time.

You shouldn't check your emails every thirty seconds. You shouldn't obsess about whether cyber space sent your precious words off into Never-Never Land. You shouldn't reread the submission you already shipped out and start sweating bullets because you found a misspelled word. And you really shouldn't compose a total-waste-of-time diddy in the tune to RAWHIDE about what's really going on in their mind when they received your query letty.

But, sigh, that's what I did anyway.

I need help.

And here is my editor/agent version (or attempt thereof) of Rawhide:

Stalling, stalling, stalling

Keep Stalling, stalling, stalling
Stalling, stalling, stalling
Though they're status checkin',
Keep them authors waiting. Ignore!
Don't try to read submissions,
Just stack them in a pile,
And push them to the way side.
Boy my time’s too busy'
This author will stay waitin', ‘til I’m a done a readin’.


Ship 'em in, read 'em up,
Read 'em up, Ship 'em out,
Move 'em through, read some more. Ignore!
Set 'em aside, read another
Read some more, forget to respond,
Cut 'em up, ask for changes. DISLIKE!


Stalling, stalling, stalling
Stalling, stalling, stalling
Stalling, stalling, stalling
Stalling, stalling, stalling
Ignore!

Stalling, stalling, stalling
Though the story’s golden
Keep them author’s waitin' Ignore!
Plot and voice and hero
May be rather special
But the dialogue’s quite lackin’
Can’t make my mind up whether,
To reject this one submission,
Or offer them a contract.

Ship 'em in, read 'em up,
Read 'em up, Ship 'em out,
Move 'em through, read some more. Ignore!
Set 'em aside, read 'another
Read some more, forget to respond,
Cut 'em up, ask for changes. DISLIKE!

8 comments:

  1. Ahh, isn't waiting FUN? This is why I throw myself headlong into my next book as soon as I send one off...it's the only thing that'll distract me enough to keep me (borderline) sane.

    Love the tune...hehehe

    Lori

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  2. oh hear, hear, Linda! Good job!

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  3. You are so right. You shouldn't - unless, of course, you're a writer.

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  4. Cool!

    I really like this part:
    Ship 'em in, read 'em up,
    Read 'em up, Ship 'em out,

    Happy Weekend :)

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  5. Hope you hear some news soon! Happy weekend!!! :O)

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  6. Waiting is the worst!!!!! Love your song. I hope that you hear something soon.

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  7. Rejection or being alone..... it's really a lose-lose question, isn't it? So we're not looking for an optimum solution, we're looking for the lesser of two evils.

    On this, at least, I can speak with some expertise, having lived both with constant rejection and with being alone for almost my entire life. In my mind, there is no question: alone is worse.

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  8. Ha! That was great!

    And yes, waiting is THE worst!!!

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