6-1/2 Things to Do While Waiting to Hear Back From Agents and Editors

TOP 6-1/2 THINGS TO DO WHILE WAITING TO HEAR BACK FROM AGENTS AND EDITORS BY PAUL MAY

Several years ago, at a FL SCBWI conference, my dear friend Janeen Mason introduced me to some new guy, who had recently moved to FL.

That "new guy" turned out to be Paul May -- funny, touching writer, techie wizard, nature photographer, family camping buddy, awesome dad to his fabulous daughters, wonderful hubby to Kathie and all around great guy!

Paul R. May (website: http://www.paulrmay.com, blog: http://paulrmay.blogspot.com) writes young adult and middle grade novels, freelance magazine and newspaper articles, parenting articles, and essays about raising kids. Paul's award-winning writing has been published in anthologies, national and international magazines, online parenting sites, educational publications, and e-zines. He has also written dozens of feature articles for several Florida newspapers. Paul lives in St. Augustine, Florida with his wife and two daughters. He loves stomping around in the Florida swamps and photographing wildlife.

And now, here are Paul's 6-1/2 Things to Do While Waiting to Hear Back from Agents and Editors . . .

1. Click Send/Receive in your email over and over and over again. Click it once more just to be sure.
2. Double check to make sure your house phone has a dial tone and that your cell phone has signal bars. Check your voicemail to be sure no one has called in the last ten minutes.
3. Wear out the grass between your front door and the mail box. Try to wait at least a full minute to run outside after the mail has been delivered. Wave at the friendly postal delivery person when she gives you a strange look. Every day.
4. When you go out to get the mail, pray that one of your self-addressed stamped envelopes will be in the box, even though you know you really don’t want to see one of your self-addressed stamped envelopes in the box.
5. Replace the carpet because of the circular hole you created while pacing in circles around the phone.
6. Google. Google like crazy. Google the editor who has your manuscript. Google the writers with whom the editor has worked. Google interviews about the editor. Google the editor’s company history. Google pictures of agents and editors so you can envision them reading your work. Google until you find out the editor’s kid’s babysitter’s high school science project topics.

6 ½. If none of the above really works out for you, consider leaving all that submission stuff alone once it’s out there. Start a new writing project. Pour all that manic-crazy-waiting energy into new scenes and wonderful characters. Laugh about your frustrations with other writers in the trenches. Have a new manuscript well underway when you finally get some good news!

Amen!

Thanks, Paul, for sharing your wit and wisdom!