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Early into writing my novels, I queried somewhere around 80 agents. One, maybe 2 or 3, answered. Of those, only one sounded like it came from a real person. When I say reply, I mean the all said no. None offered whys or advice for how to improve my submissions.
Many drafts later, here I am, trying again. I’ve made a list of possible appropriate agents that I keep adding to. Along the way of continually honing my query letter and researching agents, it appears that a lot of the biggies — which I’m approaching first, because why not? — vacation during August. For that reason, at the present moment I’m gathering info, writing letters, and filing info to email in September. Yes, wondering whether agents are overwhelmed in September by the backlog from August is among my nightmares, but there’s no way out of gambling and guessing on this one chance to approach each individual…
Sigh. Second guessing sucks. Which is why I’m ever so grateful for whatever little feathers of hope come my way, such as in the form of Shakespeare’s quotation below. Think of it! Even The Bard experienced 3am qualms to the extent that he voiced reassurance within a play, sailed his kind words far and wide, past geography and time, to you, me, and people after us!
Our doubts are traitors and make us lose the good we oft might win by fearing to attempt. William Shakespeare, Measure for Measure Act 1, Scene 4
Another bit of time-stress soothing loveliness I stumbled across: American modernist music composer who won two Pulitzer prizes, Elliott Cook Carter Jr., wrote music daily, clear up to the very morning he passed away at 103. During his last decade, he published 40 works!
Worry being the fertilizer of anxiety, my thoughts can easily muck over how to navigate privacy and misinformation. For that, I just enjoyed two great audiobooks They pose more questions than answers, but they’re intelligent fun in ways that I wish will prod dialog in the right direction. These are my reviews of them for Goodreads and Amazon…
Yellowface by R. F. Kwang: Jealousy, in all of it’s exploding-imploding disaster, launches this tale of two writers, one Chinese American and one Anglo. The story is a hard-edged yet comedic dive into publishing, bigotry, appropriation, and more. Writer or not, it’s a chilling look into haw far anyone can sink, a step at a time, with the encouragement of those who want to profit off of us. Beware, this story at times can be over-the-top funny, but it’s also a dark view of publishing from successful author, R. F. Kwang. Helen Laser contributes a great audiobook performance.
The Society of Shame: A Novel by Jane Roper: When mousy Kathleen Held returns early from a trip, her life turns inside out when she finds her garage in flames and discovers her husband cheating on her. He’s a politician, meaning the news explodes by way of a snapshot of the debacle that includes a big ole’ menstrual stain on Kathleen’s pants. The social media media circus spirals out of of control with Kathlene thrust into an unwilling figure-head status for a #YesWeBleed movement. Comedy and satire ensue amid this story that posits important observations and questions about our relationship to social media, whether we willingly engage in it or not. Thérèse Plummer is marvelous at presenting the audiobook version.
And now, I dare you not to smile when you see and hear The Linda Lindas, a group of punk rockers, in this video of them at ages 10-16. Here they perform at my definition of a slice of heaven, the Los Angeles Library. Their Bikini Kill covers are great. My fave is a song they wrote themselves, called Racist Sexist Boy, that they explain and perform at 33:30…
Today’s guest blogger, E.A. (Eleanor Anne) Colquitt is an emerging writer who blogs from Cumbria, UK. As she works on her first novel, she also contributes shorter pieces to a variety of publications. Check out her website for more about her and her writing. Here she steers us toward best creative and self-confident selves…
Finding Yourself as an Emerging Creative by E. A. Colquitt
Earlier this year, I watched a film for the first time. I don’t mean that I’ve never seen a movie before; I just mean this particular one.
It became an immediate favourite. One crucial scene – it even mentioned the film’s title – explored the age-old question of how to be the best in your creative field. The answer? It was the usual: express your innermost self.
But how do you do that, exactly? I am already me, but something’s missing. Except, every time I research ways to find myself, many different methods turn up. They’re also kind-of vague. Am I just looking in the wrong places?
Actually, I think it’s because the process of discovering who you are is as diverse as creativity itself, as the very world we live in. What works for one person won’t do the same for someone else. Everyone has their own pace, too..
I’m only an emerging creative – a writer, specifically. Here, then, are some suggestions for getting started.
Gentleness is Key
When we’re just not working at 100% of what we know we can do, we need to be kind to ourselves. Acknowledge any negative feelings in healthy ways, and try to stay hopeful for the future.
That last point is sometimes easier said than done, but gentleness is simultaneously not as difficult as you might expect. This is because artistic expression counts as self-care – and self-care exists in both our internal and external worlds. It can be physical (e.g. painting) or mental (e.g. writing).
Further down this mindfulness route, we find journaling and meditation. Both bring clarity, organising our thoughts so that we’re more aware of what – and how – we’re thinking.
As a character-first writer, I’ve encountered this advice most of all. It’s not enough to say that someone is, for example, witty. It’s better to give evidence – in this case, have them tell jokes that are both clever and hilarious.
You can also apply this technique to yourself. Which skills feature on your CV or resume? What do they say about your values?
Some are obvious: if you’re drawn to drawing, you’re creative. Reading is associated with gaining knowledge and experience. Outdoors, activities like birdwatching require patience, while simply appreciating the landscape suggests that you value beauty.
Once you’ve got hold of your values, you can then more easily express them. What lights your creative fire?
Tests and Theories
Okay, so which internet user hasn’t taken a just-for-fun quiz? If you’re honest, they can also bring insight – although the science behind some personality theories, in particular, is dubious.
Ironically, this is the method that seems to work for me. I recently started off using one theory to keep my characterisations consistent. Then, I applied it to myself. It may just be cognitive bias but, after trying to write in the way my result tends to create, thematically speaking, my main project is now progressing much more smoothly.
My advice? Treat them as tools, not absolute truths.
Finally, let’s go full circle and return to gentleness: don’t overthink things. We’ve been expressing our innermost selves all along: we’ve always been us! It just takes time – often a long time – to become conscious of it.
Why do we need such awareness? I’m finding that the more aware I am, the easier it is to make the choices I need. It only enhances my creativity.
How do you buoy yourself when your confidence in your creativity waivers?
Discover more from Happiness Between Tales (and Tails) by da-AL
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Have you tried bypassing agents and submitting directly to publishers who don’t require an agent?
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Good advice. Not yet. I’m still working on first tier of representation I prefer
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Ooh, I didn’t even know that that’s a thing… TIL. Thank you for reading 🙂
Good luck, da-AL!
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