2013 NaNo Virtuosos – Close, but not quite . . .
I have a confession to make – I’m pre-writing this post almost two weeks before the results of NaNo Virtuosos goes live.
And if you’re seeing THIS post, it means that I didn’t win.
Why did I decide to pre-write this, you ask?
Because I’m going to be very sad if I didn’t win. I’m not going to be disappointed in myself or in the story, but I’m still going to be disappointed.
And, mentally and emotionally, I’m not going to be anywhere near the point of writing a blog post if I’ve lost. Not for a few days.
Because . . . stories are incredibly personal. I have worked day and night for almost three months to get this story anywhere near a publishable/marketable state, and I’m going to feel so frustrated.
So here’s what I’m going to ask of you guys:
1. Please don’t give me lots of hugs and “I’m sorries”. (Yes, I know that’s not a word. :P)
Just give me a little space for a few days. I’ll work through most of this on my own, I just need to move past it instead of being reminded of it constantly.
2. Ask me what’s coming up next; or remind me of what’s coming up next.
I want to make major progress on my Gyti stories this year. The beauty of those is that everything is already outlined and literally just need to sit down and write it. So ask me how my progress on that is coming.
Remind me that OWFI is coming up – and that I can now pitch Catalyst at it, as long as I’ve made a little bit more progress on revising parts of it.
I’ve also found an agent that I want to pitch Catalyst to, so don’t let me get distracted from continuing edits!
Also, remind me (please oh please oh please) that spring is right around the corner. And I still have lots of garden stuff to do!
3. Ask me about Catalyst – but not about NaNo Virtuosos.
Ask me about the story – help me keep my passion for it going, because I don’t want the story to become synonymous with disappointment.
Also a head’s up – I will probably be avoiding the internet for a few days and burying myself in books :D.
Just FYI, I placed 3rd overall in the final round.
Thank you, everyone! I couldn’t have made it so far without you!
You get a hug here from me anyway! Because you know, you did AMAZING! Really, popular votes always suck, and someone probably just outspammed everyone else. That doesn’t mean jack about the quality of your story.
And if you want more feedback on Catalyst, feel free to send it my way. I can’t promise fast turnaround this week (I feel like I’ve spent all month playing catch up on one thing or another), but I’ll crit it if you’d like. ❤
Also, on the gardening: I have a question for you! If you had to choose only 3 plants to grow (relatively low light, but supplemented by grow lights), what 3 plants would you grow? (I'm trying to plan my gardening, but I only have a few pots here right now… I'm arguing with myself about where/when to get more, but it's awkward bringing potting soil up to the 4th floor!!)
Thanks, Leigh! It’s a little discouraging, because I honestly haven’t won a popular vote of anything since my sophomore year of high school. I’m about ready to say “screw it!” if I ever think of entering something determined by popular vote again, lol.
And honestly? I’ve still got a bit of work to do before I send Catalyst out to any beta readers again. So would it be okay if I sent it to you by the end of the month? That would give you a little time to catch up more as well ;). I’d like to have it ready to start querying agents by the end of March, and possibly to pitch at OWFI in May *crosses fingers*.
I’ve just decided that I will show up CQ and get published by TOR or something :D.
Hmmm, 3 plants with low light? I would figure out how to make tomatoes work. Because I love tomatoes. And lettuce. And herbs (since they do very well in pots most of the time). If you want a fruit, a lot of people grow strawberries inside in pots, though I’ve never attempted it myself. I know that’s four, but I wanted to give you some options :D.
Hostas can be beautiful too! Just for decoration…no eating! 🙂
❤ Yeah, I'm NOT fond of popular votes myself. I once got nominated for homecoming as a joke in school, not that I'm bitter or anything. 😛 So I completely feel you on that. And that definitely works! I have delusions of finishing TH before I get edit notes back on SW (at this rate, it's possible, if not likely!!), and that should slot right in that gap I'm thinking I'll end up with where there's no projects on the front burner!
And seriously. My plan, when I eventually start submitting? START at the top. The worst they can say is no, and I'd rather like to think it could be a yes someday!
See, I adore tomatoes and peppers too. I'm just uncertain how they'd do here. Though at least I can get tomatoes from E's mom's garden. *grins mischievously* But ooh, I'd forgotten about strawberries! I'm thinking I might go for those, thyme, my existing rosemary plant, and onions or garlic or something. (I like to grow them and just snip off the greenery to cook with whenever I want) And Jai, only problem with flowers? E's allergies just LOVE pollen. 😉 Nice thought though!!
As I said before, I can’t wait to finish reading Catalyst. I agree with Leigh. Your work is AMAZING!
Thanks, Taylor!
I’m so very proud of you, Rebekah! No matter what, you’ve won, really! You made it so far! You’ve bettered your story. You’ve got it out there! And THAT is what matters! You WILL succeed. And I am going to give you a great big HUGE HUG because I’m proud, not sorry for you! Ok!?!
❤
Proud-hugs are acceptable! It’s sympathy hugs that I can’t stand (in fact, even in RL, hubby is the ONLY one allowed to give me sympathy hugs). *hugs back*
You’re not really a writer if you’re not rejected. But, sheesh, third is awesome! Not really a rejection at all, if you ask me. More like a validation.
Thanks!
Every time I get a rejection, I ask myself the same question. Would I still have written the work if I knew it would never published? The answer is always yes. While publication is amazing validation and one most of us writers are striving for, success isn’t found in making it into print, it’s found in making something from nothing. If you wrote the work, you succeeded!
That being said, rejections still suck *g*
It was really close and you passed the panel round – that means a bunch of good authors think you rock. Have you considered submitting to CQ the normal way?
I may still do so, but there’s still a huge amount of editing and revising a need to do, and I’ve also got my eye on a few other publishers, as well as a couple agents I want to query. Since I can do that now, I’m going to take advantage of it!