Okay...first things first. If you are still looking at the posts from the Beginners Blogfest (I know I am, I didn't get to read nearly enough of them) mine is HERE. Secondly, I'm going to forego my Thursdays Children post on Inspiration just for this one week, because I forgot about it and it is four in the morning, so I'm too sleepy to figure out what is inspiring me. haha BUT...I had to post for two reasons. One, I have a funny story I have to tell. I guarantee ninety-nine percent of the people who follow this blog will get it and laugh.
Okay...so yesterday, I was late putting up my post for the Beginner Blogfest. I'd forgotten, so I was determined to get it up once I remembered--but it was somewhere around two in the afternoon and I had a doctor's appointment I needed to get to. So, I was writing quickly. After finishing the post (which ended up being way longer than I planned, so now I'm running really late) I hit Publish.
The little hourglass thingy on my computer started spinning like it does when it's loading. But it spins too long and the computer ends up telling me there has been an error and the post can't publish. Meanwhile, in the thirty seconds or so it this takes, I open another window and find three perfect pictures which I decide MUST be part of the post, even if I am running late.
So, I go to add them but, as it turns out, the computer lied and the post IS published. I immediately hit "revert to draft," add my pictures, and hit publish again. This time it instantly works but, as the post pops up I see that somehow it already has a comment. That means the comment was put up on the original post, in the MAYBE thirty seconds it was online. Can anyone guess who the comment was from???
If you guessed Alex, you get a cookie. I burst out laughing and just shook my head. I now have this image of Alex, in his ninja cave, with a bazillion computers lining the walls, so he is never more than a footstep away from any of them, even if he is eating, sleeping or using the restroom. Whenever anyone post a blog, there is an alarm system that blares through the ninja-cave, alerting Alex. It HAS to be. How else does he do it? Is he magical??? Aaaah...the many mysteries of Alex Cavanaugh. I guess we'll never know his tricks...
Okay...so that is my funny story and I hope you liked it!
One other quick thing. I have a writerly question for all you awesome people out there. I had a partial requested from a contest back on October 26th. By December 2nd I still hadn't heard back. In the intervening months--even though I thought I was done when I entered the contest--I ended up totally changing the beginning. So, I wrote to the agent, explained the situation, apologized and politely asked if she hadn't read the partial yet, would she mind if I sent her the revised version. I explained I was attaching it just in case. She got back to me the next day, (Dec.3) thanking me for updating her on the status of my manuscript. She said she'd only read ten pages of the original and had no problem disregarding that and reading the revised version. She said she'd get back to me as soon as possible.
That was the last I heard. It's now Jan. 10th--but, technically, she's had my partial since Oct. 26th. Should I be getting worried or assuming this is a rejection? Or--since it's a partial, not just a query--would I definitely hear back if it was a rejection? When would it be okay to drop her a line and remind her that I'm here? I know this whole process takes a long time, so I definitely don't want to seem like a nudge and I don't mind waiting longer. I am just getting antsy and wanted to know what you guys think I should do? Just wait? Assume I'm rejected? Drop her a note? HELP!!!
And now, before my husband divorces me for refusing to come to bed, I must go....
I laughed! You mean there were pictures? I need to go back and look.
ReplyDeleteDid she say up front how long it will take? Sometimes it is a month or two. Or three.
haha...Yes, there were pictures! :) And no, she never said. But, she requested my partial from a contest that she also requested a bunch of other partials from. She signed at least two of those people in the first week--maybe three. It's very possible she got busy with them and let the rest slide a bit...People are saying to wait till the beginning of March, so I guess that's what I'll do!
DeleteHmm...a ninja cave with blog alarm. Intriguing!
ReplyDeleteIf she got back to you the next day after asking her to look at the revised version, then it seems like she still knows you exist! And if she'd only read ten pages by that point, it probably means she's just going through the submission slowly. If you think of it in terms of her only having the revised version since Dec. 3, I guess it's only been about a month (still lengthy depending on size of partial), but I think I'd wait a bit longer before nudging?
And congrats on the partial, btw!
Thanks Mere,
DeleteYeah, the general consensus seems to be to wait about another month. :)
Hahaha, that was funny. I have to confess I also wondered how can he do that. It must be one of the greatest mysteries in the blogging community. Alex has the gift of ubiquity. He's omnipresent. (You could insert here the Twilight Zone theme). About your question, I would say you wait. I heard this may take a loong time.
ReplyDeleteThanks Al. Oh believe me, I definitely insert Twilight Zone music whenever I see Alex's name. I'd think he was a computer if his responses weren't all so human! haha
DeleteAlex is fast.
ReplyDeleteSome publishers and agents take up to 6 months. Give her at least another month.
Thanks, I'll do that! :)
DeleteHaha. I know what you mean! I wrote a post the day after Christmas that I ended up pulling and of course, my coworker came in after the break talking about it. It was up for like 30 seconds!
ReplyDeleteAs others have asked, did she give you a turn around time? If not, you could be waiting indefinitely. :( You could always just send her an email asking how long her turn around is.
Most people seem to think I should wait another four to six weeks. In the meantime I follow her on Twitter and comment on her stuff whenever she posts something even remotely "comment-able" I know that's not a real word, but it works. haha. I don't know if she'll make the connection of who I am, but I can hope.
DeleteI totally understand this story! As for your submission in my experience sometimes it can take months to hear back.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Suzanne. And yeah, that's what everyone is saying. Sigh. ;)
DeleteI've always wondered that, too. Maybe it has to do with making my posts go live at the same time every day? If so, then maybe my blog is competing like a TV channel. Sweet!
ReplyDeleteAwesome story - now, the rule of thumb I hear is check in at about 3 months, so you've got a couple weeks - not that I'm one to follow the rules or anything. :)
Yeah, I'm not a big rule follower myself, but--in this particular case--I am too paranoid to do otherwise. I'm one of those writers who thinks if I contact the agent at the wrong time, she'll automatically toss my partial in the trash heap cause I should've known better. haha
DeleteCongrats on the request for a partial! Celebrate that victory, girl! :-)
ReplyDeleteI'd place the month counting from Dec. 3. Three to six months for a follow-up e-mail feels right, to me (so follow up at the start of March, if you need to). Some folks take even longer to get through stuff! Don't assume anything. Don't even think about it. (Yeah, I'm totes serious.) Keep writing/reading/enjoying your family/blogging, etc. Just go about your business. AND GOOD LUCK!!!!!
Thanks Mina!! And yeah, that's what I'm trying to do. I'm actually almost 30K in to a new book, which feels like a huge accomplishment right now, cause I lost my inspiration for a bit, so it's nice to have it back and be writing every day again. I'm trying to keep most of my focus on that--but it's hard!!
DeleteLOL about the ninja cave with a blog alarm! That's a great visual.
ReplyDeleteLike everyone else, I'd definitely give it some more time making contact. :) Also, remember your post about Inky? Well, I said I'd post a picture of my muse, too and I finally did today. :)
Yay! Heading over to see it right now!
DeleteI tweak my post several times after hitting "publish" and find I'll have a comment or two on the earlier version, the one with grammatical errors.
ReplyDeleteI'd wait a bit longer to contact.
Thanks Medeia. I'm usually pretty careful about trying to not post with errors, but I'd been in a hurry. Crazy how fast comments come in sometimes!
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