Expectations

Expectations can be as dirty a word as some of those four-letter ones I won’t spell out. It can be devastating when our plans don’t unfold the way we assume they will. In my coming-on-ten years as a published author, I’ve learned the benefits of managing my expectations toward writing and publishing. It’s an ongoing learning process and I don’t always succeed, but with respect to the scenarios listed below, keeping my expectations in check has saved my relationships with friends and family, my fragile ego, and my sanity.

Writing a book is not easy. Great authors make it look easy, but it’s not. Expect it to be hard. Success feels better the harder you work for it.

Writing a book on a specific pre-determined timeline is setting yourself up for failure. Daily, weekly, or monthly word-count goals and/or scheduling writing time on your calendar is good practice, but forgive yourself if life (family, kids, day job, unforeseen circumstances) get in the way.

If you’re like me, you eat, sleep, and breathe your writing project. You can talk about it all the time. And I mean ALL. THE. TIME. But even the most supportive of friends, family members, and day-job colleagues probably have thresholds (and their own lives). If their eyes glaze over or they change the subject, forgive them. Find fellow authors with whom to talk writing/publishing Ad Nauseum instead. 

You’ve worked on your novel for months, maybe even years, and you’ve finally written the words “THE END” on your first draft. Then you read it again and realize it’s kind of a mess. That’s okay! No one, least of all you, should expect your first draft to be perfect. You should still celebrate. Completing a first draft of a novel is an amazing accomplishment, one not achieved by that many. But when the celebration is over, get back to work.

If a beta reader or critique partner hasn’t gotten back to you with comments in forty-eight hours, do not freak out. We’re all tense and anxious when we send our book babies out for feedback, but unless a very fast turnaround has been discussed ahead of time, hearing back in less than a month should not be the expectation no matter how much you want it.

If your query letter and synopsis are not working (or suck) on the first try, this is normal! It can take two, three, ten drafts, and several sets of eyes to get it right. Query/blurb writing isn’t easy. There’s a reason most of us hate that part of the process.

If you’re querying agents, do expect rejections. Celebrate them. It means you are a card-carrying member of the #amquerying club. Almost no one gets an offer of representation as a result of her first query, which means rejections are a given. You might get a lot of no’s, but you only need one “yes.”

You got a request from an agent to read your full manuscript. Hooray! This is exciting news, and you should feel great about it. Your query/first few pages have done their job. But don’t pull your open queries or change your Twitter bio yet because not all full requests result in an offer of representation.

You’ve signed with an agent today, which means you’ll be going on submission to editors tomorrow, right? Not necessarily. Most agents will want you to make revisions on your manuscript from the most minor of tweaks to full-on rewrites. This is something to talk about on “The Call.”

Most authors compare the query trenches to torture. Some of us (cough, cough) assumed signing with an agent meant the end to all that waiting and rejection. Although getting an agent is a huge hurdle to jump, the process continues when you go on submission to editors, which means more waiting, more rejection, and less control of the process. But you are in good company. Almost every author—from bestsellers whose books you see on the shelves at your favorite indie bookstore to the debut author announcing her deal on Twitter—has suffered through all the waiting and all the passes too. There’s nothing wrong with hoping you’ll be one of the exceptions, but most of us aren’t.

You’ve worked really hard on this book, revised it over and over again until it met the approval of everyone from your beta readers, CPs, agent, editor, friends, family etc. The book is tightly written, well-edited, and highly enjoyable. Unfortunately, it doesn’t mean it will be enjoyed by all and receive positive reviews across the board. You can’t please everyone. It’s a cliché but true. You did everything you could. Be proud. And let go.

Finally, writing and publishing are hard, and it doesn’t get easier. Each step comes with its own challenges, but we keep going. We continue writing because we have no choice. It’s who we are. It’s what we do. 

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A born-and-bred New Yorker, Meredith Schorr discovered her passion for writing when she began to enjoy drafting work-related emails at her day job as a trademark paralegal way more than she was probably supposed to. She is a loyal New York Yankees fan, an avid runner, and an unashamed television addict. Meredith is the author of seven romantic comedy novels and is represented by Melissa Edwards of Stonesong Literary. To learn more, visit her at www.meredithschorr.com.

 

 

Category: On Writing