No matter HOW busy you are, regardless of the fact that you suddenly have all this wonderful free time on your hands, you will ITCH to go back to it! You will lament every moment you have to spend apart.
At least I am.
It's taking every ounce of willpower I have not to open the thing. I'm determined to give it its four weeks of "space". I know it will make our editing relationship stronger in the long run ;)
What have I been up to in the meanwhile (yeah, you know you're going to get a list :D)?
1. Blogging and visiting! I love having the time to make it around to all of you :)
2. Researching agents and reading up on the querying process
3. Drafting the query letter (and let me tell you, it's MUCH harder than it seems, even with all the wonderful resources at our fingertips)
4. And I THINK I'm going to write a little short story over the next week or so... just for fun, but we'll see
5. Reading (I've recently started The Hunger Games)
What do you do while you're playing the waiting game? How do you keep yourself busy after months of having no time?
26 comments:
I read, obsess and procrastinate (seriously it's scary how much time I can spend staring off into the distance or playing some stupid game on my Iphone that require a sloth's intelligence).
I don't even want to LOOK at querying stuff yet. I'll finish edits first because I don't want to stress about too many things at once!
I hope you like The Hunger Games- I devoured all three!
Space between finishing a draft and editing is hard, but it's a well-earned break. Enjoy it!
I go on a reading binge - usually because I try not to read while first drafting and I'm desperate for books by then :)
I also work on the query and research obsessively too - so have fun with that :) I use Query Tracker to look up agents - it's been *very* useful!
That's a great idea, to start working on your query letter while your manuscript simmers. Working on the query has a way of making you really consider your story, and helps bring a deeper insight back to the editing process.
I so want to read The Hunger Games. Enjoy!
For me, I don't spend any time "away" from my newly finished book. I dive right back in, send it to the first few readers and get my hands dirty. The sooner the editing is done, the better (for me, anyway).
When I don't have anything to do involving "writing", I get bored ... and I hate bored. Lol. So once a book is newly polished and ready to query, I start another one. ;-)
~JD
Congrats on finishing the first draft! :) I usually start outlining and thinking about my next project when I'm waiting. It's the only way I can stay sane!
I put that draft on the stove to simmer for a few months and forget about it.
Then, a few months later when I open the lid, I find all kinds of goodies. A scene or chapter that I'd forgotten. Or a character that says or does something that cracks me up.
So for me, I love being on holiday from my manuscript. Gives time to start a new project or two. Which is always fun. A cup of something warm, me in my slippers and jams and that new blank page.
Ah, the good life.
I read, watch movies, listen to music, blog. I also, if I can, start something new. Nothing like a new project to get your mind off the resting one. :)
Pretty much the same thing! I know when I was giving my rough draft some space, I worked on my query letter and composed a list of agents. Good luck!
Am glad to see that you're reading. That querying business is so much work, but remember to let your book percolate & just enjoy reading books by other authors. Read some in your genre, but get out there & explore other genres, too! So many good books, so little time. :)
Actually, I didn't wait very long before starting to edit. It's been so long since I wrote the first half, I don't remember it anyway!
That sounds like a plan! Waiting is so hard.
Query letter writing is the achilles heel of all writers. Even Shakespeare would have hated that bit.
Jai
I'm reading craft books and a great fiction one. Maybe I should work on that query letter too.
I finished my last WIP at the end of NaNo so my month away was during December which is a crazy month for me. If I don't have that to contend with, I usually start my next project.
Yay for getting it done! I've been reading, blogging, sleeping, and just playing on the internet. I need to get to work :)
I read and read, and catch up with correspondence and also plan my next bit of writing.
There is an award for you on my blog.
The Hunger Games books are AWESOME! It's always good to take some time off while your novel is marinating. Good luck on the query writing. Writing an eye-catching query is quite the process!
Reading reading reading. And sometimes working on a different project.
Also potato chips and chocolate. And I've discovered they now make chocolate covered potato chips...
Ohmigosh! Best of luck with querying...it's a long and hard process from what I've heard, but totally worth it in the end once you get that first acceptance. :)
~TRA
http://xtheredangelx.blogspot.com
Good luck with everything!!! I would not be able to stay away from that draft so you've definitely got a lot of discipline :) And the query letter IS very hard!! Let us know if you need any feedback :)
I can't go four weeks LOL
LOL good luck on this. I really struggle with my patience and have to admit that sometimes I jump the gun on things. I read and beta test primarily. By the way, I loved the Hunger Games - can't wait to see if you run a review:)
Haven't started The Hunger Games. Looking forward to reading them! If you're looking for a critique on your query - check out www.openquery.blogspot.com Post your query there and lots of people will help you with it! I'm obsessed. :) Glad I found your blog!
Congrats on the finish! Hopefully your 4 weeks will FLY by ~ :) As for me, I'm easily distracted... so, time seems to pass before I know it. Sometimes too much time - but, I'm going to make this the year of revisions. Best of luck with yours!
Start the next project! :) And, by the way, I have an award for you on my blog! YAY. It will be posted Monday morning. Stop by and grab it!
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