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Thursday, January 21, 2010

Rejection #38 and Day 4 of the 5 Day Give Away

Dear Writer:

Thanks for seeking representation with us. I'm afraid I don't feel I can sell your book.

I wish you the very best of luck in your pursuit of representation.

Signed, Agent X


Image found here.

Another rejection letter, read at 10:00pm, when I’m tired and discouraged by how messy my house is. Home-made lasagna needs to be put away and Reef is crying for another chocolate chip cookie.

My manuscript lays open on the computer screen, staring back at me and I wonder why I give it so much of myself.

Chandler comes and sits with me and I explain to him why I’m sad. I show him the rejection letter.

“Have you ever wanted something so bad and you work really hard and you still don’t get it?” I ask him.

His ten-year old mind thinks for a moment, and he shakes his head no.

But still, he feels my pain and sits with me for a while.

We listen to the music coming from the computer. When I write, I listen to New Age on AOL radio. It clears my mind, but leaves me teetering on that edge of enlightenment and heartache.

I’ll blame my mood on the music.

The counselor comes in and offers to pray for the night. He prays for safety in our home, good health, love and that we can accomplish the things God wants us to.

What is it I want to accomplish?

Why do I want to be a writer so much?

Isn’t writing for my own fulfillment enough?

I want to be a writer because I have something to say.

My story is about a girl named Winona, a girl I’ve come to love because she’s so alive in my mind. Here’s her story (the condensed version).

Winona Ray never understood her dad’s unpredictable temperament or bizarre research. When he takes his life she leaves home, moves near the sea and pursues her dream to study marine biology. Like her hero, ocean scientist and author Rachel Carson, Winona’s capable of healing the sea from an endangered future, but a secret more vulnerable than her dad’s death forces her in the shadows of a constant nightmare. Assigned to mentor freshman Darren Michaels, a Son of Triton, Winona finds herself shaken not just by his deep-sea green eyes, but his patronizing complexity. What she ultimately learns is he holds the keys not only to healing the sea, but her own soul.

Winona is why I can’t sleep at night. Winona is why I turn on my computer after midnight. Winona is why I left my nursing baby last year and went to New York City. Through Winona I dream and feel and understand. I yearn and contemplate and envision. She’s taken me many places I’ve never been and I can’t let her go.

Image found here.

So, today, my dear friends, my give-away is a copy of my manuscript, Colors of the Sea, because it is not trash to me. Just leave a comment below to qualify.

And I’ll keep writing, because writing is like breathing; I need it to survive.

Scroll down to see days 1, 2, and 3 of our week long give-aways.

6 comments:

  1. Sorry for the response you received. Thank you for sharing your feelings. You have a dream, you have a good story, you have worked hard. Fromt the terse response you received, it seems lik you may have reached the wrong someone. A person that is going through who knows what, but wasn't in the present when they read your submission. The point is, each no is one closer to a yes. Keep your firm resolve and try, try again. You will find the right place for your book.

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  2. Rejections are terrible no matter how they're worded, and I feel your pain. Honestly. I do. Your story does sound interesting.

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  3. I loved the first one you gave me to read and I know you have told me it has changed so much since then. I would love to read the final and a bonus is the beautiful cover of Winona aka !!!! I would buy your book a hundred times over, you are a fabulous write and I love reading everyday what you have to say.

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  4. oh, how i know the sting of rejection all too well. it's never a good feeling. hang in there.

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  5. p.s. let me know what i need to do and what you're looking for, for your guest writer post.

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  6. I would love to win a copy of your manuscript! I sent you an email a while back, but I am not sure you got it. I may be stuck in your trash bin. :) And-- if you ever want to do a giveaway of one of my necklaces on your site I would love to do that! :)
    (Did you get my email I was headed to Phoenix? Sorry I missed you!) :(

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