Day 70 of the 365 Days of Blogging

The author, Dane F. Baylis

What Do I Do To Pass The Time While Waiting On A Manuscript Acceptance?

Is it just me or does the prompt for this one seem just a touch presumptuous?

 

Not to appear like I lack in confidence but, "While waiting on a manuscript acceptance?" I never wait on an acceptance, I don't wait to hear back from the ivory tower crowd, they're notoriously late in their response times anyway, unless it's a matter of simply cycling things between the in and the out pile because it's the third Wednesday of the month and they don't accept anything on the third Wednesday! I mean, come on, if you've got the time and lack of work ethic to sit around and wait, well aren't you lucky!

 

I write it, I re-write it for content, I re-write it for form, I re-write it for grammar, I re-write it for spelling, I re-write it for the hell of it because maybe it just might work better in another time/place/genre/main character gender...and just before I'm seriously considering a Secobarbital and bourbon cocktail...I slap that bastard in an envelope or turn it into a Word.doc and get it out of my life. At this point the wait is viewed as something of a therapeutic VACATION!!!  Just after I've hit the send button or hear the clank of the trapdoor on the mailbox I sigh a really big sigh of relief. The work's done! All there is now is the waiting. That's when the shakes start... If you've read any of my blog posts up to this point you know what's coming...Don't you.

 

I don't wait...There's another project right there in my files...It might be something simple, like the ongoing transcription of poetry from my notebooks to files on the computer and a hard copy I don't have to decode when I'm asked to do a reading. (This is also just another excuse to REWRITE IT.) Or there's the short story that's almost through first draft, or the one that is past that point and waiting for the heat to cool so I can deal with it dispassionately .

 

Maybe I don't have it for creative writing at the moment. Well, I'm involved in two different on-line courses at the minute...One on Jodo Shinshu Buddhism and the other on...wait for it...writing, either of which demands plenty of concentration. I'm also a very deep believer in the old one about you get out what you put in, so we're never really done there either. Then there are the files with the pieces of dialogue that haven't found a home yet...Thematic possibilities...Setting driven thoughts...All of these amount to notes for the next project.

 

Passing time is the equivalent of passing the buck. "I was waiting to hear back from the publisher before I committed to the next one." Are you that god damned convinced that they're going to accept it? Well, let me get the hell out of your way, Ms. Rowling! Passing gas is more productive then passing time and at least that you can be fairly sure of...Work is the only way to make the time go by. If you sit there and wait you're losing valuable ground...You just got through one of the more difficult endeavors you're ever going to face. Don't waste the momentum, break out the notes and get back to work!

 

 

Accepting short fiction to 1200 words, poetry to 25 lines, and carefully crafted essays for the Your Work/Your Love page. Nope, still no pay, just glorious exposure! You can send your work to me via e-mail at dbaylis805@gmail.com. Authors retain all rights. You can also follow or subscribe to this blog. There are gadgets for that on the right side of this page. I love the company and it helps with the search engine ranking. Comments, critiques, and questions are always answered in as timely a manner as I can manage between my day job, writing, studies, blah, blah, blah. There's a form at the bottom of the page for your use.

In the meantime, remember...live, love, write.

Dane F. Baylis