The Waiting Game

I check my email about twenty times a day. Now, I have three email accounts - my personal account, the account I set up with a cute nickname that I thought would be perfect for writing purposes but learned otherwise after sending pending queries, and my professional account that I now use for sending queries. Every time I open each account, I hold my breath. I know that rejection is coming, but I pray that it will be the one right match that will want to read more of my stories.

To make matters worse, as I wrote in a previous blog post, I am now a top-ten finalist in a contest whose winners will be announced next week. I am beyond elated, excited, and amazed! Just to reach that top ten spot is a really incredible honor. It's boosted my confidence and given me what I need to keep going as an author. But I also dread the announcement, as I fear despite my efforts not to, I have raised my hopes way too high. I really don't want to be disappointed. Whenever I think about it, I try to put it out of my mind.

I am not the most patient person. You would think that being an adult and being a mom, I would have learned patience. Nope! Not in this situation. I see agents posting on Twitter and think, "Now if you have time to play around on Twitter, you surely have time to read my manuscript!" I know better than that. I know that those agents have lives and need some downtime. But I can't deny that that thought is there. Sorry, agent-y folks!

I started watching "The Witches of Oz" yesterday. Dorothy, now an adult, is an author. Within the first few minutes, Dorothy reveals that she entered an online writing contest, but didn't win. Instead, she landed an agent! Oh, if only things worked that way!

All in all, I'm really bad at waiting. But since it's how things are, I have to. But I'm keeping myself busy by starting a new story. And I love it! I just hope that someday, I'll get to share it with the world.