So the other day I got second place on a blog contest, over at the awesome Lisa Amowitz and Heidi Ayarbe blogs. Second place won some awesome books, which, as stated, is awesome! Because seriously, I could always use more books. Right? Right.
The grand prize was a blog banner design and a partial request from Lisa's sweeeet agent Victoria Marini. It was originally just going to be a 5 page crit from Victoria, but she was all, pshaaa, I'll read a partial. Because she's cool like that.
Anyway, Sandra, the chick who won the grand prize had some exciting news. Victoria was already reading her full MS, so that meant I got to have the partial request!
Super awesome great news for a Friday!
BUT! And it was a big but, Victoria had already seen my Glimpse of Another Shore during my first query rounds AND during a Secret Agent contest I participated in last year.
I sat down and thought about it really hard. Yes, I'm still revising Break Free, but also, I'm on the last legs of the revisions. And almost everything that needs to change is from the middle to the end. The first 50 pages only brought me to chapter four, I think, and those first couple chapters had been revised TONS, both by myself and critiqued by no less than 7 other people.
So after spending close to 8 hours on Friday giving those 50 pages a microscopic line edit, I made the decision to send Break Free out into the world.
I'm kind of freaking out a bit.
Here's the thing. I don't usually worry about my MSs once I'm querying them. Because if I've reached that point, I've also reached the point where I feel like I can't do anything more with them. I can feel confident in their query and their sample pages.
And though I'm confident about Break Free (I LOVE that MS) I'm also worried about it because I haven't reached the "there's nothing more I can do" stage. At least not with the stuff past those first 50-75 pages.
Sigh.
Anyway, really what it comes down to is I'm nervous for Break Free's baby steps into the big wide world, but also excited. Because this part of the writing business is always very exciting to me. I love querying and the accompanying roller coaster.
So, there you have it. That's a microcosm of what's been going on in my world.
How about you? What's been shaking?
.
The grand prize was a blog banner design and a partial request from Lisa's sweeeet agent Victoria Marini. It was originally just going to be a 5 page crit from Victoria, but she was all, pshaaa, I'll read a partial. Because she's cool like that.
Anyway, Sandra, the chick who won the grand prize had some exciting news. Victoria was already reading her full MS, so that meant I got to have the partial request!
Super awesome great news for a Friday!
BUT! And it was a big but, Victoria had already seen my Glimpse of Another Shore during my first query rounds AND during a Secret Agent contest I participated in last year.
I sat down and thought about it really hard. Yes, I'm still revising Break Free, but also, I'm on the last legs of the revisions. And almost everything that needs to change is from the middle to the end. The first 50 pages only brought me to chapter four, I think, and those first couple chapters had been revised TONS, both by myself and critiqued by no less than 7 other people.
So after spending close to 8 hours on Friday giving those 50 pages a microscopic line edit, I made the decision to send Break Free out into the world.
I'm kind of freaking out a bit.
Here's the thing. I don't usually worry about my MSs once I'm querying them. Because if I've reached that point, I've also reached the point where I feel like I can't do anything more with them. I can feel confident in their query and their sample pages.
And though I'm confident about Break Free (I LOVE that MS) I'm also worried about it because I haven't reached the "there's nothing more I can do" stage. At least not with the stuff past those first 50-75 pages.
Sigh.
Anyway, really what it comes down to is I'm nervous for Break Free's baby steps into the big wide world, but also excited. Because this part of the writing business is always very exciting to me. I love querying and the accompanying roller coaster.
So, there you have it. That's a microcosm of what's been going on in my world.
How about you? What's been shaking?
.
20 comments:
This is terrific news!
If you're confident about the first 50 pages, keep working on the rest of it. Cuz you never know. You could be asked for the rest just like that. :snap:
Good luck, Sarah. I'm rooting for you! I've read your work. You have the chops.
I'm so excited for you! And I wouldn't worry that the rest isn't quite polished--heck, the feedback you get might change direction for the next round a little! I've done similar with ABNA--submitting 'not quite done' because somehow it seemed the most appropriate for the opportunity. I hope you get really great feedback!
That's awesome! And wow, I never reach the nothing more I can do stage. I always think it could be better. That's why I've never read the finished product of either of my books. I'd want to change something.
That's pretty sweet. I know how much you love this one, so it should be exciting to get some professional feedback.
And knowing you and your ability to bend the space/time continuum to your whim, you'll have the rest of Break Free in tip top shape by the time it needs to be, if not by the end of this week.
Well I'm wishing Break Free lots of wisdom in the world of agents!!! :) Good luck!
I think you're safe. You should have time to keep working on it, and even if you don't finish before she writes back, you have a legit reason you sent her that MS.
So awesome!!
That was always the hardest for me, initially putting the MS I'd worked on and loved out there for others to judge. So happy you got that prize Falen :D Congrats, and I hope you get great feedback!
Ninja Girl
Wishing you all the best!
This is great news!
That's awesome! Good luck!
Well we shall see what "Break Free" does now that you have chosen to send it out in the world. I expect great things. And I shall be checking this space often to see if there are new great things posted from your endeavors :) Best of luck.
That's awesome news!
I think you'll be fine :) Looking forward to hear how it goes :)
Oh, hey, congratulations! I think you made the right choice. I also think Victoria is awesome, so I'm sure you'll get great feedback! Best of luck!
Ahh! That's so exciting! Congrats to you!! You can't call something "Break Free" and then keep it hidden from the world, yanno? :)
Completely understand where you're coming from, Sarah. This is Novelista85 from QT, btw. I placed in a contest and was forced to send my WIP out. Then I got antsy and started querying. Since querying, my betas have given me conflicting feedback. I've got a bunch of fulls out and I'm trying to figure out if I need to edit or leave it the heck alone.
ohman! it'll be soooo good to hear her feedback! YAY! way to push the fledgling outta the nest, mama eagle!
How exciting and how nerve-racking! Those pages have been edited, critiqued, and revised. It should be good. Best of luck!
Deep breaths...and keep a paper bag close by for emergencies! :)
Yeah! How great for you :) I'm sure you've got those first pages down well and the rest will come :) Congrats!
Sometimes fate steps in and pushes you in the pool whilst you're standing on the edge waiting to jump. Usually, after you've stopped panicking about drowning, you end up having a great time!
Okay, what I really meant to say was good luck :-)
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