Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Kinda don't know what to do with myself now

Up until a few days ago, this was my routine:

--Get kids off to school
--Check QueryTracker stats
--Check Agent/Editor blogs, Publishers Weekly, and Absolute Write
--Check QueryTracker stats again (you know, because constantly checking statistics really makes an agent respond faster)

Sprinkle in "check inbox" about every five minutes.

Oh yes, and I'd write. Maybe. 

Now that I have an agent, I still find myself checking my inbox and QueryTracker. Why? What can it possibly tell me? I don't know. I can't seem to get out of this routine. If I were in preschool, my parents would probably get a call saying that I don't "transition well." My kid didn't transition well. Maybe it's in the genes. 

My resolve is to treat writing more like a job--to find a schedule and stick to it. And, as if reading my thoughts, Agent Rachelle Gardner posted some advice related to this just today. 

Okay, I'm off to work on some new story ideas before I get my revisions back. 


10 comments:

Debra Lynn Shelton said...

Wendy, You deserve to be a little out of touch with "reality" (whatever the hell that is!) for a while. Enjoy it - bask in it- and hopefully, some of us will be joining you there soon!

Debra Lynn Shelton said...

Plus, as I recall, you do have some other "work" to do (hint,hint).

(My word ver is: bidett - do you think that's because I've been thinking of redoing the bathroom?)

WendyCinNYC said...

Ha! I'm reading, I'm reading! I'm almost finished, actually. I'll be emailing you with my thoughts within a couple of days.

Janna Leadbetter said...

One you narrow down your next project, you'll find your mojo. And if not, your new AGENT will find it for you! ;)

Angie Ledbetter said...

Revel! And do start work on the next project. That'll keep your query-checking-fetish at bay. :)

Kristina said...

At this stage, I was still checking my e-mail every five minutes hoping my agent had sent my revisions, then I checked e-mail every five minutes to see whether she liked them, then to see whether I was on submission, then...

I had a lull but now I'm at it again, wondering if there are new reviews or foreign rights interest or... I hope you end up with the same problems!

Melanie Hooyenga said...

Wendy, that's funny. I have a question about QueryTracker - how does it work? I understand the concept, but does it track when they read the queries, receive them, or what?

WendyCinNYC said...

Angie and Janna--Thanks, I'm trying to clear my head about the next project now.

Kristina--So my CrackBerry addiction won't abate anytime soon?

Melanie--It tracks what queries you've sent, their responses, etc. It also has a cool feature where you can see if any particular agent has responded to anyone *else* who posts on QT, or you can compare other agents who like your genre and all their stats. It also links with AgentQuery and their websites, so it's one-stop shopping.

colbymarshall said...

Haha, are you watching me? Because that's my day ;-) CONGRATS again on the agent...great problem to have. I wish you all the best and can't wait to hear about all the good things to come!

Melanie Hooyenga said...

Thanks for the explanation Wendy. I've been on AgentQuery, of course, so now I understand the relation between the two.