Friends, I recently submitted a manuscript to a category romance line I’m trying to break into. And I heard back! Yes, said the editor, you’re doing great, but—and only if you’re game—I’d love you to rework your first three chapters and outline, and then resubmit. What say you?
Funnily enough, about eight years ago, before I signed with someone else, a dream agent wrote me a very long email saying she loved my novel, had read the whole thing, but really wanted me to extend it. “Sit in your scenes more fully,” she said. “Expand and extend! Because seriously, I want this novel, and I think our sensibilities dovetail.”
Duck: *quacker-gasp* A dove was involved?
Did I rework that novel? No, I did not. I didn’t know where to begin. I liked it the way it was. Going back in felt messy, problematic. Why? Because I didn’t have the self-esteem.
Writerly self-esteem is amazing stuff, right? It says, “Yes, you can!” It says, “Try for it all!” It says, “Reworking is fun!” It says, “Love is worth the commitment!” It says, “It’s all great learning!” It says, “This is how you keep improving!” At least, that’s my experience of writerly self-esteem. Nowadays, of course, I’m out as nonbinary and pansexual, and I’m living a much more authentic life, so my self-esteem is high. It’s astonishing how greatly authenticity can change things.
So, when this kind romance editor reached out to me, suggesting—very thoughtfully with a ton of awesomely brilliant feedback, for which I paid not one mite—that I give those three chapters another go, I saw it for the gift it was. A HUGE, AMAZING, WILDLY GENEROUS GIFT! I’m having a ton of fun redrafting and I’m learning lots, too. And even if the manuscript isn’t right when I resubmit it, it will have been worth every edit.
Duck: So there weren’t any birds involved in this post at all?
Me: Well, you were involved.
Duck: Oh now, you’re just trying to raise my self-esteem!
Wishing you TONS of writerly self-esteem, my friends.
Romancey Pants 