Gah, I have to remind myself that strong ideas outweigh pretty words. I'm a pretty words fan and I get swept up in that sometimes. But ultimately, it's the big hooks and strong ideas that catch people.
Way to stick to it. Six manuscripts, that's a lot of writing! You paid your dues, that's for sure.
Thank you, Kolina. I'm also a sucker for pretty words! I think the trick is to try and do both - big hooks and beautiful writing. Easier said than done haha!!
I loved this little story! You're so right about the hook and the concept being the thing that reels people in, perhaps (...probably...ugh, definitely) more so than expertly crafted sentences. I've really resisted that notion but am slowly coming around. For what it's worth, I think you've done both things here! xo
P.S.: Six manuscripts... oof. Your determination is inspiring! When I first started writing, I couldn't fathom the idea of shelving a manuscript. But now as I wrap up my third book while my second continues to languish in the query trenches, I'm well acquainted with this very specific heartache. I wish I could open up a library of shelved manuscripts!
Thank you, Sophie. Shelving things is so hard!! I try to take heart from the idea that there are no wasted words. It all goes into making us better storytellers in the end!
Wow! Six manuscripts must equal a lot of rejections. I’m happy you were able to work through them and land a book deal! That’s a big resiliency muscle you’ve built lol.
I grew up a baseball player then worked in talent acquisition for ten years so I think all of that prepped me well for rejection. Still, I cringe thinking about how many rejections I’ve gotten on my current manuscript, especially because I’ve learned so much over the past year. I haven’t started querying again yet but I feel like I’ll be much better off this time around and I owe a lot of that to people like you that I soak up insight from. So thank you!
What a fabulous little story! Love it!
Gah, I have to remind myself that strong ideas outweigh pretty words. I'm a pretty words fan and I get swept up in that sometimes. But ultimately, it's the big hooks and strong ideas that catch people.
Way to stick to it. Six manuscripts, that's a lot of writing! You paid your dues, that's for sure.
Thank you, Kolina. I'm also a sucker for pretty words! I think the trick is to try and do both - big hooks and beautiful writing. Easier said than done haha!!
Haha IF ONLY it was that easy! 🤣
I loved this little story! You're so right about the hook and the concept being the thing that reels people in, perhaps (...probably...ugh, definitely) more so than expertly crafted sentences. I've really resisted that notion but am slowly coming around. For what it's worth, I think you've done both things here! xo
P.S.: Six manuscripts... oof. Your determination is inspiring! When I first started writing, I couldn't fathom the idea of shelving a manuscript. But now as I wrap up my third book while my second continues to languish in the query trenches, I'm well acquainted with this very specific heartache. I wish I could open up a library of shelved manuscripts!
Thank you, Sophie. Shelving things is so hard!! I try to take heart from the idea that there are no wasted words. It all goes into making us better storytellers in the end!
Wow! Six manuscripts must equal a lot of rejections. I’m happy you were able to work through them and land a book deal! That’s a big resiliency muscle you’ve built lol.
I grew up a baseball player then worked in talent acquisition for ten years so I think all of that prepped me well for rejection. Still, I cringe thinking about how many rejections I’ve gotten on my current manuscript, especially because I’ve learned so much over the past year. I haven’t started querying again yet but I feel like I’ll be much better off this time around and I owe a lot of that to people like you that I soak up insight from. So thank you!
You are most welcome, Colin, and thanks for reading!! I like that idea of resiliency as a muscle!
I adopted it from a fellow Canadian—Steve Nash!