Patience

A writer spends a lot of time waiting.

Waiting for word from a publisher or agent to give the thumbs up it lives or down it dies in the arena. This is the nail biting, on the edge of your seat kind of wait.

Of course the waiting game isn’t quite as bad as it used to be. Traditionally a writer would have to send a manuscript though the mail to the publisher. The wait for their decision could be anywhere from six months to a full year. Depending on how high the stack of submissions they’ve received is.

Over the years ideas have changed, some of which has come with the advantages that technology has gifted to us. Many publishers now accept electronic submissions. Being able to submit by email gets the writer’s masterpiece into hopefully the right hands faster.

Still once a writer hits send they have to wait for reply. Though that wait isn’t as long as it used to be. For some it is still a few months before you can get word others a matter of days or a couple of weeks.

A vast difference from, really, not that many years ago. If the reply is a rejection the writer goes back though the manuscript to determine why their baby was thrown out with the bathwater. Then begins the waiting process all over again with the next submission.

There is one hope to all this waiting. Good things come to those who wait. It’s cliché I know, but absolutely true. One day after waiting and waiting the contract comes in the mail or the first check for royalties.

The nail biting and worry is forgotten and everything is as it should be. We just have to wait a little longer for it to happen. So have patience.

**Part of the A to Z Challenge… Letter P**