Opportunity

And deadlines

I mentioned in my first post on Substack that I was working on a sci-fi novel. I don’t recall why I implied that it was finished at the time (I may have been referring to an earlier project that I have since shelved), because it wasn’t. It has, however, been my primary writing focus for the past year, and while I already have plans for another novel, I’ve resisted the urge to actually begin writing it beyond jotting down ideas for species, characters, technology, and plot points. I know from past experience that if I start working on a new writing project, the previous one will suffer and likely go unfinished. I’m just not good at multitasking with big writing projects.

As I crept towards the end of this project, I was presented with an unusual opportunity to submit it to a publisher more directly than an unsolicited email. I was skeptical at first and dragged my feet for months, but ultimately decided I had nothing to lose; with the help of some colleagues with much more experience in the publishing industry, I put together a query letter and a fifty page representative sample just in time for my deadline. Satisfied that I had done all I could and with minimal expectations, I returned to work on the project.

A week went by, during which I thought little of it. I had no expectation of even receiving a reply, so I was completely floored when I did. What’s more, the publisher requested I submit the full manuscript.

Consider this my long-winded excuse for not having a ‘real’ post today. All of my creative energies are being devoted to revising my completed manuscript (211,000 words is a lot to comb through, it turns out). This is an incredible opportunity for an unpublished author, and while my expectations remain low, I’m taking it seriously. I gave myself until the end of the month to finish this revision and submit what I have, but I hope to be back here next week with another ‘blog’ post.

Regardless of the ultimate outcome, I’m incredibly grateful to have been granted this opportunity; a chance like this is more than most aspiring authors ever get, and it’s helped me break down many of my own barriers. With the love and support of my family, I’ve been able to devote more time to writing than ever before, and it’s just served to make me even more certain that this is how I want to spend my time.