Tuesday 10 March 2009

The HORROR of sending off a manuscript

For those who think this writing thing gets easier...I am sending off a manuscript today. I have been delaying, tweaking, reprinting the covering letter, changing the order of the pages. Changing the order again. Thinking out loud that this is a hopeless thing to be doing. Why bother. They won't even comment, let alone reply.

Explanation: Anyone who knows my background might understand this: I must be mad to be writing anything, sending anything out. Because rejection and a very deep-seated fear of it are at the root of who I am.

Don't we all react badly to rejection? Sure. But for some of us, the prospect of it is so appalling that if you looked at it head on you'd never do anything.

So I carry on. What else is there? Except to let others know that they ain't on their own if they feel the same.

6 comments:

Unknown said...

I'm with you girl! Good luck.

Sarah Hilary said...

Oh it is HORRIBLE, isn't it V? I do sympathise. But brownie points by the bucketload for getting it done. All my fingers crossed for your ms on its travels. xx

Douglas Bruton said...

I recognise what you are saying, what you are feeling... I sometimes wonder why too. The highs from acceptances are so much smaller than the buffeting that is felt from those rejections.

Thanks for sharing... let us share your fears and maybe make them smaller for having been shared.

D

Jac said...

Oh, all the best with it Vanessa. Remember that you are a WONDERFUL writer and wherever your manuscript is headed they are darn lucky to be getting it.

Well done!

Tania Hershman said...

Well done, you, for getting it off. That's the main thing. Carrying on. Thanks for sharing. Fingers crossed for it all.

Susannah Rickards said...

You set a fine example, and just for fun, the verification word is 'depho.' Dephonately a good sign.
Good luck with it and CONGRATULATIONS on Fish. Tra la.

Susannah