So, I’m sitting here in my mix-matched pajamas and shearling house shoes my mother brought me yesterday that were too big for her (which are really cozy) and trying to decide what to work on first. Query letter? Editing my husband’s manuscript? Edit/polish my own manuscript? Work on my new book? Write a blog article? Research agents? Aaaaaaa! It’s so MUCH! Sometimes it paralyzes me in Nothingsville where my sweet kitty, Zoe lives most of her life. She's the Mayor of Nothingsville.
The path of least resistance was the blog – so here I am. Let me explain why it’s all so overwhelming. I’m stuck in this purgatory of my book -- being “finished” and rewritten at least three times now. I’ve edited it to death but I’m still at 116k words. Now, for an Urban Fantasy, I understand this is not a death sentence. But, is it edging me to that reject button for the number alone? I’ve read dozens and dozens of agent and writer blogs and articles about word count and I think the bottom line is the Query Letter. If the query is kick butt, and the word count isn’t outrageously out of whack, it’ll be okay. That’s what I’m going with.
Check! Mark that one off the list.
I am a bit of an edit-junkie. I can edit forever. A very vicious cycle. I need a deadline. How do we set our own deadlines and actually stick to them? I’m not going to fire myself if I don’t make it. Or even deny myself chocolate. So, how do I threaten myself with my own deadlines? I don’t know. I’m working on it. Maybe by Friday I’ll figure it out. Or Saturday.
Before my brain explodes, I’m going to do a quick workout and then work on the final polish of my manuscript. Research tomorrow!
As a sideline, I have to bless all the agents, editors, and writers that share their stories and advice on websites and blogs. I would be wandering the veritable desert without them. So, bless your hearts!
