I'm not good with waiting. I prefer certainty to uncertainty. I e-mailed my first screenplay query to an agency exactly three weeks ago today, and they state a response time of two to three weeks on their website. When I first e-mailed it, I came up with several fanciful scenarios in my mind: they responded in one day because they were so impressed by my letter, they rejected it right away and I could query the next agent, they took a week because they were inundated with queries, and on and on it went.
As two weeks stretched into three, I told myself it was a good sign, as previous article queries I've submitted have been rejected within a few days. I reassured myself that it is likely faster for agents to say no to material than to express interest. Yesterday I went into a slight emotional funk over it, panicking that maybe my query was lost in cyberspace, so I decided to be proactive and re-submit my original e-mail today with a short note attached, and I will affix a "read receipt" so I know for sure it has been received.
These are uncharted waters for me. I'm not sure exactly what to do, but I do know that waiting is not my strong suit. I felt better instantly when I drafted the e-mail that I will forward later today. Action motivates me into a better mood because I feel energized instead of demoralized. It may not make a difference to the outcome, but changing my emotions creates a more positive experience for me, and that seems to help the situation.
I know that I am more patient now than I have ever been, but I still have a long road ahead of me in this area. If I embrace the experience and look for ways I can grow and change, I will learn something through this process of waiting. It is good to be reminded that I am not always in control, and that is okay. I must submit my will to God and fate and trust that I will be safe and that events will unfold as they are meant to. It's not an easy lesson but a very important one, if I can remain open to learning what it has to teach me.
My newest article is up on the Gear4Guys site. It's called Men & Healthcare. If you are in need of a Friday laugh, head over there and have a quick read about how radically different men and women are when it comes to child care and other such responsibilities.
So many things we have to wait for, huh? :) I'm not very good at it either.
ReplyDeleteP.S. I've heard that "read reciepts" are a good way to annoy agents/editors.
I had heard that too, which is why I didn't do a receipt with the first query, but I did on today's because it has been 3 weeks today. Like I said, I'm flying a bit blind here, but wanted to be proactive. My message was very gracious, about how they may not have had time to read and respond, and if so, to forgive me, but I wanted to touch base. We'll see what happens!
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