What is time (there’s a loaded question for you )

As writers, we’re so anxious to hear back from editors or agents. We send off queries or submissions, requested or not and mark the date on our calendars. We read the response times listed on their websites, we count the days on our calendar for a general idea when we’ll hear.

Then we… what? Wait? Of course not, we’ve all taken the workshops, listened to the lectures, read the books. We’re smart, we keep writing. We work on something else. We tell ourselves we aren’t watching that calendar. But… how many of us are still peeking out of the corner of our eye?

And then, inevitably, responses take longer. And despite that snarky voice in our heads whispering it’s a deliberate act of torture, or wose, it’s because our precious submission sucked worms, it really ISN’T about us. These are BUSY people.

So – How do you deal with the wait? Me – I spent a couple years in a very tense state of waiting. I’d watch the mail, dualy releived and miserable when there was no SASE each day. I’d feel my spirits droop each day at the close of business, East Coast time, when I didn’t get a phone call.

It sucked.

This year, its different. I’m all about Zen. Everything in it’s time. It’ll happen when its right. The only thing in my control is writing the best story I can and submitting it – beyond that, I can’t stress. I won’t let myself. It’s that Zen thing.

Sounds great, huh?

Of course, at this moment, I have a full with an editor who told me she’d read it “quickly” (definition, please), an agent I’d love to work with who is waiting for my revisions, and the possibility of attending the RWA National Conference all riding on if I sell this story before registration closes or the conference fills up.

I’m strongly considering taking my Zen with a shot of tequila.