It’s been no secret here on Freelance Parent that Lorna and I are big fans of candid transparency. When we first started our freelancing adventure, we knew just about as much as anyone else approaching a writing career with nothing more than some solid writing experience and an ability to learn. Anything we needed to know, we researched and studied. We gained experience at our own pace, learning from our mistakes and keeping a sense of humor all the while.
And then we blogged about it.
The end result is that now, a year and a half later, we’ve got a really solid business, a loyal readership base (we love you guys!), and a very, very strong sense of accomplishment. Things were looking pretty good.
Until, of course, I decided to do the whole thing all over again by trying to make the leap into writing fiction. If you followed my NaNoWriMo experience, then you know I wrote an entire 104,000-word historical romance manuscript recently. I followed it up with exhausting revisions and rewrites, and am now looking at what it might take to get it published.
The path to publication is daunting – and it’s a process I know virtually nothing about. So anything I need to know, I’m researching and studying. I’m gaining experience at my own pace, learning from my mistakes (BIG time), and striving to keep a sense of humor.
Oh, and I’m blogging about it.
Romance This is to Freelance Parent as Frasier is to Cheers. It’s still got one of the stars of the show (namely: me) and the same general approach, but in an entirely different setting. From query letters and self-addressed stamped envelopes to literary agents and self-publication, I’m looking at it all. Heck – I started the thing less than a week ago, and already, I’ve tackled revisions, rejections, and yes, intense public humiliation.
I encourage everyone who’s interested in someday getting published or simply in the mood to watch as I flail around in the pool of the unwanted to head on over and take a look. Feel free to leave me comments, offer advice, or simply point and laugh. It promises to be an interesting ride.
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Christina Lemmey is the mother of two school-aged girls, a wife, and the owner of 
Very cool and congratulations on completing the novel. I don’t know what’s more daunting the editing process or the submission process something I am learning about as well. I would love to finish my novel, but have recently started sending out my children’s book manuscript to agents. To say I’m diligent would be a lie, but hopefully I can be inspired by you. I’m going to check out Romance This. Good luck… and have a great week.
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hey TAMARA~! I read your query at Qery Shark and thought it was great- it piqued my interest a bit, so that’s good, even though I couldn’t tell you what a Regency even is:)
Well…along these same lines I recently had an editor tell me that they don’t give two poops about my writing background outside the genre for which I was pitching- that is, they basically told me not to bother with the “hey I’m a successful freelancer” stuff. Dammit! Like you, I figured it meant, ya know, SOMETHING that stringing words together pays my bills, but apparently, not so much.
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Petula -
Thanks for the encouragement. I am most daunted by the submission process, that’s for sure. My hope is that by making all my foibles public, I’ll not only help others to reach similar goals, but I’ll also maintain a good sense of humor about the whole thing. I get the feeling that’s the only way to survive this…
Allena –
Thanks for not hating my query! I bounce back and forth between agreeing with everything the Shark said and feeling a little self-righteous about my letter. But of course, she is the professional agent…
And, I really don’t get how being a professional writer doesn’t help, but, like you, I’m getting similar responses. Live and learn, I guess!
I’ll have to watch your journey – I have no aspirations to be a novelist, but I sure do love to read them (historical romances are actually a particular favorite!!) I am rooting for you!
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