Writing Takes a Back Seat

Well it's official: life is hijacking me. Actually it needs to. We have a trip to plan and we're leaving in 9 days. The house is still a mess--not cluttered but needs cleaning. And my DD needs me to drive her all over the place. Between the lists for the trip and the after school activities, I barely have time to breath. Of course, I would have done this last week.... but.... oh well.

I have been reading about PRO and agents and publishing and editors' letters to authors and it is all sooooo disheartening. I feel like such a novice even though I've got 4 books written, tons of good contest results, and a sense of my writing voice. But when I see people with blogs and websites and published novels in their signatures, I feel soooo inadequate. This has got to be my year to break through--I keep telling myself it is, but what if I really do stink? What if my stories never resonate with anyone in the publishing business? I keep getting stories, but will they ever be good enough to make it through the slush pile? And will I ever have the perfect query, the perfect letter, the perfect synopsis, the perfect first three chapters?????

God this is a frustrating business. I am glad I procrastinated on getting the PRO pin. Which, by the way, hasn't arrived! ARGH.

My original plans for this time were to revise the third book a bit more. But instead, I find that I have so little time to commit to it, that I need to just kick back, print out what I have from a critique buddy, read about the business and start thinking about querying when I get back. I need to get my PRO stuff organized and my plan for attacking the publishers and agents and editors worked on before I go forward. When I get back, I will finish the stupid billionth revision (it is NEVER done), and then I will query it.

I just wish I could final in the Golden Heart. It would make me feel like I had accomplished SOMETHING that would get me closer to getting published. But I don't hold out much hope for it after reading the LHAoE contest judges' comments about the infamous KISS scene and the editors' letters about how they decide to accept or reject.

Blah....