If you’ve ever wondered what life as a writer feels like, I think this photo sums up the writing life quite nicely. I’m sure Stephen King’s writing reality is vastly different, but so far, I have spent more time waitin
g than anything else (including writing). So, here’s a glance into my writing experience.
Some writers have to wait for inspiration from their muse. Trust me, the Here’s the Plot for Your Book Muse is fickle. She comes when she feels like coming and in her own sweet time. And, she leaves far too early (often in the middle of the book) without a word or a backward glance. One minute she’s there, whispering witty ideas in your ear and the next…poof. She’s gone. Some writers are blessed not to need her and can come up with ideas or take an idea their publisher wants written, plot the entire book, and write it without the visitation of a muse.
After the Muse condescends to visit, you write. Let’s pretend the muse was kind and stayed until you finished the book. You now have your epic masterpiece. If you’re just starting your career, you might send a query letter to an agent or publisher. And you wait for a response. Some agents respond quickly. Let’s suppose the response wasn’t a “NO.” The agent is intrigued by your thoughtful query letter, brilliant concept and wants more. You may get a request for a PARTIAL. This could be anything from one to three chapters, fifty pages, a synopsis, marketing plan, author bio and/or any combination thereof. You send the requested material and then you wait for a response. This could take anywhere from five minutes (in the land of make believe, agents are just sitting at their desks waiting for your query) to three to six months (I once got a rejection after a year). If the gods are smiling down on you and the heavens are perfectly aligned, the agent may request a FULL. This would be a request for the entire manuscript and could also include a request for a synopsis, marketing plan, author bio and/or anything else they think can help them determine if you are a serious writer. And then you wait for a response. IF you get a response (some agents will only respond if they’re interested so no response means no), the agent could request a rewrite and resubmit. Or, you could get an offer of representation.
Lucky writer, you have an agent. You might expect things will move quickly now. Silly Wabbit, this is just the start of the waiting game. Now, your agent will attempt to sell your manuscript to a publisher. Instead of you sending queries to publishers, your agent will do it. Guess what happens next? You got it. You wait for a response. But this is your lucky day. You’ve written a masterpiece. An editor loves it and wants to publish it. You wait for the contract. You sign it and send it back. If the contract is for electronic publication only, your book will be downloadable in a few months. But, you want to see your book on the shelves at bookstores. So, you have signed a contract for print. You work with your editor and he/she signs off. You then wait for a date for your book to be published. You get the date and its twelve to eighteen months down the road. So, you wait.
The big day arrives and your book launches. You’ve done all you can to market your book. You’ve done blog tours and interviews and printed bookmarks, t-shirts and coffee mugs. You have a book launch party and you tell everyone to buy your book. What’s next? You wait. You wait for the book sales to come in before you can get your first royalty payment (this differs depending on your publisher) and pray that you earn out (sell enough books to cover the advance you got from the publisher).
Sound exciting? Actually, it is very exciting. If you’re one of those crazy dreamers who enjoys coming up with exciting new tales of space travel, adventure, love or magic, then the writing life might be for you. Sure, waiting sucks! But, nothing compares to seeing the stories in your head make their way onto a page. So, kick back, grab a glass of sweet tea and enjoy the wait.