My Mysteries all now waltz around a second topic. One I like to call “Let’s get thee published!” Far as that dance goes, STEAMTOPIA RISING is in the arms of an editor. According to my calendar, my baby's been there for quite a while. I’m turning into an unpublished helicopter parent. Is she having fun? Is she getting along? Do they like her? The imagination that created 90,000 words of Rob-lit, is now inhabited by “what-if” tales of abuse.
“You’re too fat!”
“You’re too weird!”
Oh, my baby…Nobody likes editor bullies—and yet, all I can do is wait outside.
And trust.
Editors are good people, after all, and these ones are looking after my baby. They’ll treat her as the princess she is. This isn’t like summer camp. It is finishing school.
So how do I keep from worrying while I wait?
I weep.
But beyond that, I have a list—like any other author-parent—things that keep me from wearing worry lines into the carpet. It goes a little something like this:
1. Catch up on new video games:
It's been a while, but I think I can still maneuver my way around a joystick.
2. Invent things:
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| A new card game or trumping plot lines? Not sure it matters.... |
Keep creative juices flowing! Whether it’s exciting worlds or board games, I exercise my mind. Fill my idea notebook stores, before the next idea drought strikes.
3. Discover a world outside my office:
The world in my head isn’t the only world that exist. Twists of subplot turn right outside that door….
4. Reintroduce self to family:
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| You must sacrifice to rejoin our pack. |
My cats and wife barely remember who I am. I try reaching out to one member at a time; too many strangers at once could result in brain bends.
5. Plot the next book:
Eventually it's time to move on. When waiting for the world outside my head to turn my way I need to move the world inside forward.
That’s how I deal. While we wait for words from my editors, why not tell me how you do it?
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