Today is my book’s third birthday:
Baby's 3rd
born April Fools’ Day 2007—go figure. Each birthday marks a new milestone. Year one I aimed to finish my first draft by April 1st 2008—and I did. Year two I aimed to send my first query—I sent two. But what about year three? If I began the query process on year two then by year three I either should have an agent or be setting some kind of query record. Right?
Wrong. See, I didn’t really begin the query process. I got scared. Then I misinterpreted fear for “not ready”. I told myself fear is my inner voice telling me to revise … again. And again. And that’s how year three progressed. I had moments of intense bravery—that I never interpreted to be anything in my favor the way I interpret things not to be in my favor—where I’d query an agent. But that happened only four more times.
There was one winning contest entry that got my partial looked at by an agent and a few other high points during the year, but all in all I think I edited too much. I didn’t even submit a single short story. I guess you could say I didn’t write for a year—I revised, every day, every chance I got, and I don’t think it shines any better than year two.
For my book’s birthday, yes, I’m going to query. I’m going to query three agents just for that day (picture three agent heads atop a book, like candles atop a cake). But I’m not going to stop at three the revise again. Because if I polish my ms one more time, I think I’ll have made it dull.
I shall query thereafter, and I shout this so that I can hear it.
Tricia
Tricia Sutton's Blog 
A couple days ago my daughter blogged on “creativity and perfectionism” (http://sharigreen.wordpress.com/2010/03/30/creativity-perfectionism/) and I responded that I have sucked the life out of one particular ms because of revising it to death. I’m not convinced that fear of failure is why I haven’t ventured forth into the world with it. I know good writing when I see it, and I honestly don’t feel this ms is good enough yet. It, too, was written in 2007. (Was it something about that year?) It wasn’t my first, and I’ve written another since then, but I keep going back because I think the MC’s story is one that should be told. So I spent March revising yet again and have now sent it off to be critiqued. That means more revising, of course, but I set a goal of devoting this spring to trying one last time. By summer I am determined to start querying it.
I applaud your decision to move ahead, too. Whether it’s fear or readiness that holds us back, sometimes we just have to take the plunge. We can’t know if there will be interest in our stories unless we make the effort to find out. It takes courage!
Carol~I think my hestitation has gotten the best of me. Now I’m just ready to leap without a net. All or nothing. Do or die. Sink or swim. I think I’ll just shut up now.
We have a similar anniversary, and I blogged about mine today. April 1st, 2008, was the day I began writing in earnest. It’s two years later and the forward motion of my writing has caught me up in a pretty powerful tide that has changed my life. My only advice to you on this momentous day is just keep leaning forward and the way will appear before you… and one more thing, trust yourself and your story a little more. Query and then let other characters and stories find you… they are out there. 🙂
Jules~Happy anniversery. I have many stories and characters that have waited patiently for me to stop messing around with book one and pay attention to them. I’m going to do both: stop messing around and create new wip’s to stress about.
I know what you mean about polishing until you make it dull instead of shiny. I’m doing the same thing. 😦
Carol~Yikes. What can we do?
Well, I’m proud to share my birthday with your book.
I agree with Carol–I have polished many a piece of writing to within an inch of its life. And then it just sits there scared to move.
So…why not start something new?
Cynthia~Happy book birthday to you too.
Yes. I have began new projects. It does help to spread neurosis around a bit. 🙂
The first short story that I actually completed blew my (then) boss away. He thought it was fantastic – about a time-travel facility on the moon, called Pasture. I decided to tidy it up and sort out some dodgy grammar. He hated the re-write. All the spontaneity had gone. A lesson? I’m not sure; but these days I try not to dicker with imperfection too much. Cross the Ts, dot the I’s, and try to make sure that you haven’t written ‘the’ instead of ‘to’, and say “That’ll do: If they don’t like it now, they probably never will.”
Tooty~I love that. It’s so true. My first short story submission was accepted by a print magazine. The same magazine accepted my second story. Call it beginners luck or just the fact that I didn’t edit it to death.
Sadly, that magazine is no longer in business (hopefully, not my fault :-)). I’ve had little luck since.
April 1st is a great day for new beginnings.
I agree, sometimes there is this need to polish until the shine is gone. While working on my novel I got to the point where everything felt so stale that I had lost all objectivity.
Thankfully, it felt new again once it was in book form.
Laura~How many re-writes did it take before you shopped it for a publisher?
I can imagine how wonderful it must feel to hold your book in your hands.