The Waiting Game by DL Larson

We're finally done playing the "waiting game" at our house. We were getting pretty good at it too while making ready for my daughter's wedding. We waited for bridal gowns to be shipped, we waited for tuxes, invitations, flowers and centerpieces. The list went on and on while we prepared for the big day. The many preparations reminded me of waiting for things to happen in my writing life. Once I ordered a particular item, my job was done. All I had to do was wait for it to arrive.

Does that sound familar when it comes to submitting our work to publishers and editors? Whether we send our material and inquiry through email or snail mail, our job is temporarily done. Or is it?

I learned to chart my submissions and then move on rather than gnawing on "what ifs." What if I said this rather than that, would someone sit up and take notice? What if I explained my plot a little differently, and before long I focused on another approach of querying my work. Not necessarily better, just different.

Then I realized what I was doing. I was filling time, wasting time when I could be working on my WIP, editing completed chapters, anything besides second guessing what I submitted to an agent.

I'm all for tweeking queries and getting the words just right, but in order to be productive with the time I have, I learned to do my obessing before I send a query, not after.

How about you? What have you learned to do while waiting for responses to agents and publishers?

Til next time ~

DL Larson
PS: I wanted to share a bit of our big day with you: This is Amber and Josh ... and the cake! :)