Wednesday, February 4, 2015

IWSG Wednesday: The Waiting Game

IWSG Badge

It's the first Wednesday of February, which means it's once again time for Insecure Writer's Support Group! Because so much of writing is done alone in your head, it can sometimes feel a little lonely (well, aside from all the imaginary characters tromping through your head). I'm grateful for the richly supportive writing community, which reminds me I'm not alone in my madness!

That said, the name of this month's writing insecurity is waiting. It seems like a lot of writing also involves waiting: waiting for your CPs or beta readers to get back to you, waiting for turnaround from the editor, waiting on agent feedback, waiting for an editor to fall in love with your book. For someone like me with a few OCD tendencies, waiting can be extremely hard. I don't like surprises; I like knowing what's coming next--and sometimes that just isn't possible with writing, particularly with the traditional publishing route I've chosen.

Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie (Kremlin exhibition) by shakko 32.jpg

The good thing is, I do have control over my favorite part--and that's the writing itself. Since I spent most of November in a revision and querying frenzy, I didn't do NaNoWriMo in November. So some writer friends and I tried a modified version of JaNoWriMo. I set myself a modest goal of 30K by the end of the month--and I just passed 35K in a new manuscript! It's still quite a drafty mess, but it's reminding me of the pleasure I get exploring a new world and new characters, and it gives me something to invest my energy in while I wait.

6 comments:

  1. What a great January for you! Waiting is extremely hard. Even us indie authors have to wait--for our cover artist, our freelance editor, not to mention our CP. I hope Feb. is a great month for your writing, too.

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  2. I so get you on the waiting. I am biting my nails, because my latest WIP (my first novella) is in the hands of my betas. Good thing I have some editing on other projects to do so I don't check my phone or email every ten minutes, looking for a response. Not that I've ever done that or anything. *insert sheepish smile*

    My IWSG Post

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  3. Excellent idea. I do the Nano thing too. It's such a rush. :-)

    Anna from Shout with Emaginette

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  4. Congrats on surpassing you goal! It's important to have supportive friends and always remember to keep enjoying ourselves. You have a great attitude. Thanks for sharing a bit of uplifting sun!

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