The query works

I think I can say, without a doubt, that my query is successful. In adding this morning's partial request to the tally, I have over a 1/3 positive response rate. That's pretty darned good!

I sent project 2 out to a brand new beta who was gracious enough to volunteer. Not only that, but she read it in record time and sent me back notes!! Just have to find time to go through them all carefully.

I expected to have problems with chapter 17 of Project 3 today, but a passing comment by Theo broke the whole thing wide open. I'm no where near done with it, of course, but I have an excellent start and momentum to carry into tomorrow. I keep realizing that I'm nearing the end of the first draft on this one, quite rapidly. Stealth Book for the win?

All in all, I'm willing to concede that (writing-wise) the past week or so hasn't been bad at all.

I feel a nap coming on

Short post for Friday, 'cause...well, the subject says it all.

For two days in a row, I got 1200 words down on Project 3. This resulted in a finished chapter 15, and a HUGE chunk done on chapter 16. It'll be interesting to see if I can get to 50K by next Friday, but hey, anything is possible.

Came home to a full manuscript request (the first 3 chapters went in the initial query) from a source I wasn't expecting. I mean, I DID query them, so I was expecting SOMEthing, but I didn't know they'd ask for it. You know what I meant. Sheesh.

Hoping to see Mel this weekend, as we christen Gita's new house. Other than that, I intend to be lazy.

Also, as an example of how my brain works (or doesn't work, as the case may be)... In the space of about twenty minutes last night, I managed to come up with an idea for a world/magic system/character class based solely off half of a word glimpsed on a sign in the background of a television commercial. Put that in your pipe and smoke it.

Rawr indeed

Came home today to a partial request from the query I had feared lost to spam. So yay!

Still trudging on toward 40K with Project 3. It is officially longer than the first draft of project 2 now! (and is just over half way through the story) so I judge this as a good thing.

I must say, this was a much-needed boost of confidence today. I'll just bundle up the requested pages, shoot those over to Kinkos tomorrow, and get that puppy in the mail!

Post-Holiday Stuffs

Mostly a quick update, 'cause I'm behind on the dinner/dishes schedule for the evening.

The family (read: kiddo & I) are currently battling poison ivy. Kiddo's is clearing up, and mine....makes me want to jump off a roof. It's just one spot, a bit bigger than a 50 cent piece, but it's driving me absolutely batty and I can't seem to find anything to kill the itch. No, we have no idea where we picked it up, but we are choosing to blame the hubby & his brother who are apparently immune to poison ivy and were working in the yard recently.

We went to see Indiana Jones with Gita on Sunday and (even though I couldn't have popcorn *sob*)it was a great ride. Indiana Jones is one of my fondest childhood memories, and I'm glad they didn't tinker with it too much. I'm not sure why other people keep whining about it being a bad movie. If you didn't expect to see Indy be Indy, don't go SEE Indy. Duh.

I hit 30K on Project 3 today, AND got another full request for Project 2 from an agent. Yay!

Hopefully, I'll have time tomorrow to write something longer and more insightful.

Edited to add: And as I sit here, I got another query rejection in too. Guess I'm covering all the bases today!

Life and other events

My best friend & beta reader Gita lost her mother today, so please keep her in your thoughts and prayers.

For my own events today, I wrote 2,100 words on project 3, finishing chapter 8. I also came home to find a request for a full manuscript on Project 2 from a brand spanking new agent.

Somehow, it's hard to be appropriately jubilant in light of the event mentioned previously.

Another first

I have another partial request sitting in my mail box today! You will pardon me while I take a moment to dance around the house with kiddo, making us both dizzy little creatures.

However, this is the first one that has asked to receive the pages via snail mail! Hmmm... While I could probably get away with printing it off on the company printer at the Real Job (tm), I'm pretty sure that's not the best way to go about things.

So once again, I shall be utilizing the Kinkos down the block, and their super-wonderful "you upload it, we print it" strategy. Seriously, if I could kiss the person at Kinkos who thought that up, I would.

And, always thinking ahead and thinking positive, I shall print out a receipt to be held as a tax deduction against future earnings from writing. See, lookit me be a planner!

In writing news, I again did double my word count goal. I finished chapter 3 of Project 3 and got a good starting chunk on chapter 4. I think I'm really getting into this!

Here we go again

Proving that literary agents NEVER sleep and do not take weekends off(something that I've long suspected), I received another request for a partial today. So, pages are sent, and per their website, I potentially have a two-month wait ahead of me as they review my submission.

Now...do I go wake up the sleeping hubby NOW to gush to him, or let him snooze a bit longer?

ZOMG, and Wootness!

So...one of the two queries I sent last night turned into a partial request today!

I...I'm speechless! Well, ok, not speechless, because obviously there are words coming out of my mouth. (fingers?) I mean, it's what you hope for, but wow, I spent all last night and today trying to brace myself for rejection!

In fact, when I got home tonight and saw the reply e-mail there, I thought "Crap, that rejection was fast." So I went about my business doing other things for about half an hour, without ever opening the e-mail. Then...I opened it... And then I had to spend the NEXT half hour explaining to my kiddo why I was screaming and jumping up and down. (it's clear that five-year-olds don't truly grasp the concept of the publishing process, but she was happy when she realized that I was happy)

Ok, I'm going to go squee a little more, and then buckle down and do some more querying. Because that's what I'm supposed to do at this stage. Eggs and baskets and things.