Note to 2022 readers: Like most of the posts I've done today, I'm repopsting this from my old blog which I will then delete. Unlike most, though, I'm including this specifically for myself. To remind me how far I've come, and how hard I have worked. I mentioned "Tipani" here as a new continuation of my work from 2013, but also included a picture of Pip as the NEWEST continuation from 2022... because it continues, as it should. Always. ~JC _____________________________________________
... and I get up again ...
You know the rest.
So, my uber-awesome agency rejected "Guts and Glory" in the end. I'm not entirely surprised. I mean, I was amazed that they asked for a full in the first place, all things considered. And I learned a lot from them, even though their rejection didn't involve quite the amount of feedback I was hoping for, considering that their website says they give detailed feedback for full requests. But whatever. The point is, I wallowed in a decent amount of self-pity (about three days), before I decided to use this experience to my advantage.
See, every rejection isn't just a badge of honor for a writer - a self-proclaimed battle scar, as it were. No, it's also a chance to get better. My uber-agency, which I now feel free to tell you was none other than The Blair Partnership, J.K. Rowling's very own agency itself, did give me a BIT of feedback in their rejection after six months of review...
...they said they loved my world and my plotline, but that my characters just weren't likable enough.
Okay, so far from taking that personally, I have done what any professional should do in this situation, and taken that to heart as a tool to improve my writing. Though "Guts and Glory" is not compete (and I assure you, I WILL finish the final book), I have decided to take a little break from the series, and focus instead on a new set of books. It has no name, as of yet, and no straight plotline, but I have my new world mapped out, and I WILL have my characters likable (by not making the plotline contingent on character development, for one). I'm leaning on my strengths while learning from my weaknesses... in that way, the new series will be amazing. Of that, I have no doubt.
Stay tuned to meet Tipani Walker, and delve into her world of dreams, nightmares, and what's on The Other Side. Jessica Crichton will rise again, stronger and more sure than ever before!
This is not over. Not by a long shot...