Patience Please

People by nature are impatient beings. Think of yourself as a squalling infant. Did you care that your mother just went through one of the most moving, incredible (i.e. traumatic) experiences of her life? No, you did not. All you cared about was being feed. Now.

Learning the virtue of patience is a lingering challenge. In today's world of microwaves, Internet and iPhones, anything we want is only seconds away. I can buy a blouse, check my e-mail, talk to my mother and cook a meal at the same time and be done in five minutes. Okay, maybe ten..., remember I have kids. I may actually have to preform some sort of manual labor in that time frame, such as hefting the sippy cup out of the cabinet to fill with juice, because they want it. Now.

Okay, so I learned to share when I was a toddler, and I waited months for college acceptance letters and then I went through Patience Boot Camp becoming a new mother, and continue my tour of duty in the Patience Reserves for the subsequent children, so I'm no lightweight when it comes to the virtue of patience. So why is it that a two or three month wait for feedback from a manuscript reading seems like an eternity? I eagerly check my email to see if there is any news. I even look for the NYC area code on my caller id when I get an incoming call, (all you writers out there reading this, don't you laugh at me because you know you do it too). I'm like a kid waiting for Christmas morning in the summer. I've got a long way to go.

So Patience, don't fail me now. I need you to lord over the selfish click happy finger that wants to send manuscripts directly to the publishers, because that finger is a thrill seeker looking for the instant adrenaline rush of knowing there is a new chance in the world. It cares nothing for the long term goals that we have been steadfastly working toward. And I promise Patience when I do land a great agent, the bottle of Cristal champagne that has been in the refrigerator for three years, that's got your name written all over it.

Remember to Believe

Believing in yourself is a hard thing to do sometimes. There are so many things during the day pressing in and vying for attention that its easy to forget why we've started something in the first place. Or if we do remember, it may only be to think, "I must have been crazy that day." Luckily there are shining moments that remind us of why we have chosen to put ourselves out there.

I must admit in the past few weeks I've become a bit hardened to the responses from my "Query Letter". Its surprising how each form rejection letter is different from one another. I'm quite impressed with the many different ways one can say "Thanks, but no thanks." I suppose it must be similar to how agents feel reading "The Query Letter"; they are all different, but essentially say the same thing, "Oh, Oh, Oh, Pick me, Pick me, Pick me!"

Ah ha, but today was a shining moment. My "Query Letter" did not fail me. I received a request for a partial submission from one of the most respected agents in the YA publishing market. Needless to say, my "Query Letter" deserves a nice pat on the back, and if she comes back and wants to see the full manuscript, I just may kiss it.