"What Do You Think About...Wednesday" With Christine Bryant

Today's "What Do you think about...Wednesday" question was given to writer Christine Bryant. She so graciously accepted the invitation and gave an outstanding answer.

"What do you think about the struggles of the submission process? How do you mentally get yourself through it?"

In a word—FRUSTRATING! It’s not that I mind the whole process. I actually enjoy researching each agent, learning more about them and what they are looking for. It’s not even the fact that each agent has their own submission guidelines. Doing the homework and knowing exactly what an agent or publisher is looking for is all part of the writing process. I get that. The frustrating part is trying to condense a 103,000 word novel into two paragraphs and make it ROCK the agent’s world. It doesn’t matter if you’ve written something that has the potential to be the next number one New York Times’ best seller. If you can’t write a query, your book won’t even be read by the agent. And if you can’t get a request for a partial or a full read on your manuscript, you won’t get published.

So, what’s an aspiring author to do? I think the key is to just keep plugging along. If the query doesn’t work after 10-15 agents have rejected it, rewrite it and send it out to a few more. If that doesn’t work, keep trying—over and over and over and OVER. Never give up! Not EVER! The secret to your success might be in the hands of the very NEXT agent.

To answer the second part of your question—how I deal with it mentally—well, some days it’s as easy as . . . CHOCOLATE! Other days may take a little more ego stroking by my fellow writing buddies. And, as always, a good old fashioned Pity Party never hurts. But even that can only last a short while, because getting back to the passion of writing is always the best medicine for a pile of rejection letters.

Thanks for having me Sheila. This has been fun.

BIO:

Christine Bryant has always been a writer. Even before she could compose a single word with a pen, she scribbled her version of cursive along the open page, just to see what it looked like. She spent her teenage years swiping her father's old black Royal typewriter so her muse could breathe life into what her vivid imagination had created.

She's spent the last twenty-three years married to the man of her dreams and raising their two sons. After helping run the family restaurant for most of their marriage, Christine has finally broken away to pursue her dream of being an author.

When she's not with her family or tickling the computer keys, she loves camping, reading, scrapbooking, listening to all kinds of music, and making new friends.

Christine is currently living in the middle of sage brush and lava rock with a spectacular view of the Snake River Canyon in South Central Idaho.

If you would like to contact Christine or visit her at her blogs here is her information.

Christine (C.K.) Bryant
christine@ckbryant.com
www.ckbryant.com
www.christinebryant.blogspot.com