Saturday, October 9, 2010

The NV dream is over

To cap off what's been a crappy week for me, I didn't make it onto the coveted New Voices List (a.k.a. The List). For those of you who haven't heard of The List, it's a shortlist of entrants who the eds want to follow up with after the end of the competition. Congratulations to those who made it, including my fabulous CP Sarah Brabazon who is thoroughly deserving.

For the rest of us poor sods, what does this mean? Well, the way I see it, we have a number of choices:
1. Give up the writing gig altogether. Don't know about you, but not writing makes me cranky and difficult to live with. So this is not an option for me.
2. Decide that M&B isn't really for you. I like reading them, so I'll continue trying to write them thank-you-very-much.
3. Write The Damn Book - whether it's the entry in the competition (re-writing Chapter 1 'cos it obviously didn't work for one reason or another) or another brand-spanking new story - and sub it to M&B regardless.

I think I'll take number 3 thanks. I mean, I feel despondent right now and need to give myself a day to throw a pity party for one. But, as some encouraging published M&B authors have pointed out on various forums, you don't need a competition to get that publishing contract. These authors can attest to that.

So if you didn't make The List, have an apple and pear martini (my shout) and pick yourself up, dust yourself off, then keep on writing.

As for me, my plan is to write the suckopsis (can't remember who first came up with this term but I hope you don't mind if I've acquired it) and e-mail it along with my first chapter to one of my fave authors from who I was lucky enough to win a critique. Then maybe I can find out what's wrong with this damn chapter once and for all, though I have my suspicions. Then I'm going to put this story aside and do NaNoWriMo with a fresh new story, blocking out the 'shoulds' and 'should-nots' which I've found has crippled my writing so much over the past year.

What about everyone else? What's your plan now that your NV dream is over?

11 comments:

Lacey Devlin said...

I'm so glad you've got someone to critique it for you. I hope you'll finish it and submit it Angie!

Angie Peters said...

Thanks for the encouragement, Lacey :) I've figured a way to re-write the chapter, but need to work on the first draft first to find out more about the H & H's conflicts.

Will you be finishing your wonderful entry?

Lacey Devlin said...

Good luck with those rewrites. I'm still considering my entry, not sure what I'll be doing with it yet. Probably submitting, although I'm not sure I'm right for contemporary :)

Angie Peters said...

I think your voice is very contemporary, if you don't mind me saying so. What do you think you're more suited to, Lacey?

Rachael Johns said...

Commiserations Angie - I tried to post earlier at my library job but it wouldn't let me! I loved your entry and am really glad your not giving up on it. Will be following your progress with a close eye.

I'd love to do NaNo this year but think lots of things are gonna be working against me so I'll be madly cheering from the sidelines. Maybe next year, I'll give it a go again.

And I'm with Angie, Lacey - where do you see yourself sitting? Just curious :)

Lacey Devlin said...

Thanks girls! I usually target Desire :)

Rachael Johns said...

Desire is contemporary!

Anonymous said...

Awh Angie, poor you, I can empathise. I've been feeling exactly the same as my 'Not Amused' post will testify. I saw an amusing quote on Christine @ inwardly digesting blogsite that said: 'Write without pay until somebody offers pay. If nobody offers within three years, the candidate may look upon this circumstance with the most implicit confidence as the sign that sawing wood is what he was intended for.' Mark Twain
:O)

Jackie Ashenden said...

Hugs Angie. I'm feeling the same way. In fact, considering number 1 at this point in time. :-( Congrats on the critique, that's awesome!

Angie Peters said...

Rach - thanks :) It's nice having that confirmation that someone enjoyed reading my chapter. NaNoWriMo won't be the same without you?!!

Lacey - I agree with Rach. I thought Desire was contemporary. Did you mean that you're not sure if you're right for Modern/Modern Heat. Actually, your voice sounds Modern Heat-ish to me.

LOL, Madeline - I don't think I'll be sawing wood anytime soon :) Though giving up the day job is not an option. Sorry to hear you've been feeling down in the dumps. Seems like a common theme lately. I'll pop over to your blog to take a looksie at what you've been up to...

Poor Jax - I so feel for you. I think there'll be a lot of people who won't let you give up (me included!)Think about all the great writers that got rejected - for eg. Stephen King and J.K. Rowling. The world would have been a poorer place (literary-wise) if they had given up. It would be a shame to see you give up now...you have no idea how close you might be!!!

Lacey Devlin said...

I was speaking in terms of the categories at NV sorry! So yes, Modern/Modern Heat was what I meant :)

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