Reason #2 Why Writers Are Neurotic

As I’ve stated before, there are about a billion reasons why writers are anxious obsessive-compulsives. If you’ve ever met or corresponded with a writer you probably already know this. Here’s the second reason on my list.

Reason #2: AGENTS AND EDITORS GO ON VACATION

They also go on maternity leave. And find themselves covering for a colleague who unexpectedly leaves the business. And have personal crises like ailing parents, pending weddings, or (on the most extremely rare occasions) cranes collapsing onto their apartments. What I’m trying to say is editors are people, too.

For the writer who sits at home, sending out submissions, queries, proposals, or revisions, this is sometimes hard to keep in mind.

I think it’s especially hard for unpublished authors. If you are the client of an agent or the author of an editor they generally give you a heads up if a situation is going to affect their business with you.

But if you’re an unattached, unpublished author, you have no idea. The submission you sent out six months ago might be sitting on the empty desk of an editor who had to suddenly leave the office for any one of a billion reasons. Or it might have been passed on to another person in the office who suddenly has twice the work load and half the time. Or it might have been read, despised, and tossed in the trash. (Since we writers are a neurotic lot, which one do you think we assume is true? Yeah, the last one.)

The sad truth is, sometimes you’ll never find out why.

And that’s Reason #2 Why Writers Are Neurotic. We send our creative work (bits of our heart and soul) out into the big wide world, knowing that the only thing worse than a rejection is never knowing either way.

Hugs,
TLC

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1. Reason #1 Why Writers Are Neurotic