When the waiting's over...

When the waiting is over for a writer, the news isn't usually good. That's because publishing is such a subjective business, even the best manuscript has a good chance of receiving a few rejections before it finds a home. When writers submit their work, we're taking a chance that it will be declined (which is a far nicer--and more realistic--word than "rejected.")

My wait for news from Andrea Somberg ended this afternoon and--you guessed it--she's passing. Bummer.

I'm sad and disappointed, but not nearly as sad and disappointed as I expected. Why? Maybe because I knew the odds were against me. Maybe because she read the entire book. Maybe because her email contained some specific--and helpful--thoughts about what I'm missing in the manuscript. Maybe because of the guinea pigs.

Maybe because I'd promised myself a new pair of earrings when I heard from her, just to celebrate my bravery for submitting.

I'll wait a few days, give the manuscript another once-over, and then send it out again. Will it ever be published? I think so. I feel like I'm following the same path as when I started writing for magazines: at first I received form rejection letters, then form letters with hand-written notes of encouragement scrawled across the top, then more detailed rejection letters, then substantial rewrite requests, and finally acceptances. As I've submitted and rewritten The Last Violin, I received first form rejections, then form rejections with handwritten notes, and now a personal note...I know I'm on the right track!

:) Cheryl