Something wasn’t right. Not a single full nor partial request. Not a single personalized response. I received rejection after rejection until one day a reply that read, “Widow’s Stone is not quite ready for me yet. I suggest you seek the help of an editor.” Imagine the sounds of squealing brakes followed by the stink of its hot rubber and the blinding smoke of its insults.
With a punch to my chest, I halted all querying. I found my third editor. She is still working on my manuscript and I am currently days close to the four-week estimate before it is complete. This one edit will cost $1000 and I’m sure I’ll have hours of work ahead of me. Totally worth it. Right?
Yes, totally worth it. Plus, regardless of her critiques, I’m sure she’ll love my protagonist’s no-bullshit approach to being a strong, smart, and beautiful woman. I know she’ll love how I describe the owls hoot as a master of vocal vibrato.
But, maybe not. This is scary. Holy hell, I hope she likes something. The opinions of a stranger can be so crippling.
Just like on Instagram with all of the unknown friends following your cause or simply your life to only stab you with judgment and shame. Wait. What? No, that’s totally different than an editor. Editors have merit to their constructive criticism which I totally need.
Meanwhile, I have had a month while she edits to re-vamp my query and synopsis. I remember reading a query that worked, by Victoria Griffin, online about one year ago. With the magic of Twitter, I found her Query Course! Jackpot.
https://www.victoriagriffin.com
I want to be just like Victoria. Her welcoming website nails branding with tranquil hues of blue and constant, “You can do it,” votes of confidence. For just $67 drawn from my PayPal account I now have the means to isolate plot, stakes, conflict, and even a hook for every manuscript I write! I have three more manuscripts in the works. Also, noted is that if you can’t isolate your plot, the stakes, or the conflict maybe you’re not done with your manuscript. What a great point, Victoria.
The Query Course is a massively worthwhile investment.
It has been three days well spent listening to the care in her voice. The simple way she has outlined what I need to focus on while separating all of the cool parts of Widow’s Stone so that I may articulate with precision what the story is really about.
If you are like me you are ashamed and brutally hateful to yourself for not already having the skills to be perfect at this task of query writing. How can I write a whole damn book then suck at a mini-synopsis? I realized I was writing my query based on how I hoped the reader would feel reading my book. Yes, I’m that controlling. I wanted to tell you how to feel about my MC and how to behave in the presence of arrogance, hate, romance, and friendship.
I know. Dumb huh?
So if you are receiving rejection after rejection halt all processes and go back to the basics. And if you have a degree in science and not English combine some learning into your hectic schedule. It’s never a waste of time. Lord knows I could continue learning fifty hours a week for the remainder of my life and still not be Victoria Griffin. The good news is though, I’ll be me, but better!
#writerslife #writerslift #feministfantasy #widowsstone #amquerying