Week of June 3-9

[mrissa]

Two rejections, two hold requests. So that could be worse, especially the context of one of the holds.

I just got home from my friend Vanya's wedding, where I got to see other college people I expected to see, plus a few surprises to me. I came back and was bubbling along to timprov, blah blah lovely wedding blah good to see blah blah, all very true -- it was a lovely wedding, and I have been hoping that Vanya would marry Kjessia since the second time I met her, so even if everyone had worn paper bags over their heads and fed us straw for dinner, I'd have been happy -- when all of a sudden I stopped, and in a very small voice I said, "I miss gaaldine." And I do. I mean, she wasn't part of this group initially, so it's not "she's always been there and I miss her." No, it's the other thing: the one where I am conscious of how glad I was when she started coming around with the_overqual, how neat it was to suddenly have my best girl friend in the midst of other people I'd liked for years. And sometimes the world is filled with too many things, and I do understand that people don't always get to do everything they want to do, but...I miss gaaldine, and that is what.

Comments

n00b question

[todfox.livejournal.com]

What's a hold request?

Re: n00b question

[mrissa.livejournal.com]

"Dear Authorperson, We like your story but are not sure we can fit it into our Blechtember issue. Do you mind if we hang onto it for another week or two while we think about it? Thanks, Some Editor."

Or, "Dear Authorperson, Our slush readers have read your novel and decided that it does not, in fact, suck mightily. They are not authorized to make financial decisions, however, and the people who do so are backed up from hell to breakfast, so if you still want us to buy your book, we'd like to keep it around another some months to think about it. Thanks, Some Editor."

Or else, "Dear Authorperson, Your book rocks like a rocking thing, but the job of agents is not to rock along with books but to sell them. Lemme get back to you on whether I think I can do that well. Thanks, Some Agent."

Re: n00b question

[papersky.livejournal.com]

That middle one? If you have that one, get an agent. Seriously, because an agent can say "Dear backed-up editorperson. You know that novel you have had on your desk for the last one/two/three/four/ninety-six years because it doesn't suck but you're backed up? How about having a look at it this week, before I take my client's awesomeness elsewhere and never submit anything else ever again to your wonderful but inefficient organization" much more effectively than you can, and furthermore in a way that'll allow you to still hang out with the editorperson at parties. Which last bit is well worth 15%.

Re: n00b question

[mrissa.livejournal.com]

Working on it. Really.

Re: n00b question

[mrissa.livejournal.com]

They are not at all mandatory, and often you will not get them (they will happen invisibly), but they tell you what your work o' fiction is doing behind your back. You can always say, "No, sorry, you've already had this story for eighteen months, and it's less than three thousand words long, you lose," if that's how you feel on the subject.

Re: n00b question

[todfox.livejournal.com]

Thanks mrissa.

[gaaldine.livejournal.com]

I miss you, too, and both the the_overqual and I are very sad to have missed the wedding.

[mrissa.livejournal.com]

I knew you would be. It was lovely. Vanya said his vows in a loud firm Vanya voice. I think one of the things I like best about Kjessia is that she moderates Vanya without squishing the Vanyitude out of him even a little bit. It's been very clear to me ever since I met this woman that the man she loves is also the man we all know and care about, not some idealized construct or hypothetical future polished version. It makes me very happy.