#6 past the post

Shelley Dark

Feb 9, 2022

I hope nice things have been happening in your life since I wrote to you last. Anything could have happened! Tell me, tell me, in the comments!

I said I'd let you know if anything happened on this end. Hold on to something. Okies, are you ready?

Drum roll, ta-da, toot-toot, I have finished the manuscript. F-I-N-I-T-O.

When? A couple of weeks ago. I know, I know. I didn't tell you straight away. I always thought I would jump onto this blog and shout it from the rooftops, the second I put down my metaphorical pen.

Why didn't I?

I think it was the silence in my head.

I had been standing in a closed white room for three years, a flurry of black letters flying past, whirling round and round, a storm whipped up by some invisible centrifugal force. When I finished the manuscript, the energy evaporated. All the air currents whispered to a stop and the letters fluttered down, and I was standing there, in a blank room, letters all over the floor a foot deep. Just me and a blank room. And a finished manuscript.

Weird.

Of course I soon dismantled a *cream bun and the world settled back on its axis.

In the meantime, I've submitted (whatever part or parts required) to:

a recognised literary prize (equivalent of entering a marathon)
ONE preferred publisher - their website says 6 months wait at least (they say 6 months wait, are they kidding? I could be dead of old age.)
2 writer's conferences to have real experts critique my pitch, first page, query letter to /publishers-literary agents. (hallelujah, gave me a 👍🏻.)
a literary agent recommended by a dear friend (had to lie down for a while after I pressed send)

So that's it. I'm not expecting trumpets to sound and angels to fly any time soon. I may have time for a full rewrite and a world trip before anyone gets back to me. And I heard the other day about someone who papered their loo with rejection notices. I'll buy the wallpaper glue only when I need it.

So now baby, I'm starting the next novel! Planning it in my head even as I type this. Where the first one was the story of a Greek youth, this next will be the story of his Irish colleen.

Ciao buddies. Hope the co-bird (as John calls it) is treating you ok. Stay safe.

I'll let you know if there is any major development. Thank you for being interested.