Monday, February 11, 2013

The Endless Adventure of Waiting

I'm here.

Where is here you ask?

Sitting in front of a computer screen composing this post. My inbox is of course to my left, in which every word I write I'll stop, peek over, and see I've yet to miss anything except for the ongoing Kohl's sale.

To my right sits my owl coffee cup, he keeps asking me 'Owl I'm doing' and I want to tell him I'M FREAKING OUT. Too bad I can't because the cupcake I decided to have for breakfast is still being devoured and a giant piece is shoved in my cake hole unable to tell him.

He knows. I don't know why he asks. I share my stats with him daily. We talk over the delicious cup of tea each morning. He knows when I'm sad, happy, or in that dreaded place of the in-between.

Waiting is such a vicious place to be stuck. And for this TYPE A (points to self) personality, losing any amount of control seems to kill a piece inside of me. Hence the whole pack of cupcakes I purchased this morning, and no, sharing is not on the menu.

So what do I plan to do while waiting for rejections and requests?

Share randomness about myself.

1. I cannot put my face under the covers. I feel like I can't get a good breath, therefor I'd suffocate and I'm not sure I want to die by suffocation of cheap bed sheets.

2. I still wear Christmas socks. They're the only knee-length ones I own so I'll continue to wear them as they keep my legs warm and toasty. Unless you'd like to send me fun ones. I would allow it.

3. In my house everyone has their own theme song. Including my cats. My Siamese (may he rest in kitty heaven) had a Christmas style one, the calico has a cute one about her weight (tastefully done), and my midnight black kitty has an excellent rap.

There you have it. I've wasted a few minutes and chances are if you've read this in entirety I've wasted the same amount of time for you.

You're welcome.

26 comments:

Aurora Smith said...

Waiting, or otherwise known as, hell!

Kimberly Franklin said...

Waiting... UGH. That must suck. Hope you hear good news soon!!

And I cannot put my face under the covers either--unless I'm freezing and it's the fastest way to get warm! :)

Michael Di Gesu said...

Hi, Jen,

OH, I am SOOO there with you. Ready to pull out every hair on my head. Winter in Chicago is so gloomy. I miss Florida something aweful. I NEED TO BE at WIZARDING WORLD RIGHT NOW for some magic and inspiration.

But no, I am, like you, draped on my daybed typing on the computer. Thankfully my new office is has the most light in my condo... it has two walls of windows. The wind is howling through the icy fingered branches in the cemetery-like park... Spring can't come fast enough for me.

BUT, hang in there. WE all know this is a WAITING GAME. REMEMBER you are ONE TALENTED and EFFERVESCENT young woman with MANY people who love you!

Patti said...

I agree with Aurora, waiting is absolute hell. Good luck keeping busy.

Laura S. said...

Ah, waiting! Never an easy task. I suggest taking your mind away from it; move away from the computer! Write something new you're excited about. The waiting won't seem so futile and agonizing if you try to forget it for awhile!

I hope you soon get what you're waiting for, Jen!!

Cheyanne said...

I'm stuck waiting as well, so thank you for wasting some of my time this morning. I should have read this entry slower.

On the plus side, I also had a cupcake for breakfast. And will probably have one for lunch.

Bethany Elizabeth said...

Waiting can be awful, I'm totally with you there. Sorry it's freaking you out, though! And I can't put my face under covers either. :)

Jessica L. Brooks (coffeelvnmom) said...

I've found that the only way to survive the waiting is read, write, or get the heck away from my computer and do stupid crap you would usually never dream of doing (like painting the bathroom for the fourth time, or getting all crazy about pinning random things on Pinterest and then attacking your kids so you can try yet *another* nail design, or gaining ten pounds from trying every single crepe recipe you can find... you know, stuff like that). Time crawls when you're waiting for something specific and can make you go nuts! So the bigger the distraction, the better!:)

Another way to waste time: Vlog your cat theme songs so we can ALSO waste time. :D

Love the "owl you're doing" pun, too. Awesome.

Jessica

Unknown said...

Waiting for feedback from betas, agent/editors, etc. makes us all crazy Jen. And I know everyone will say, "Just keep writing." Well, sometimes that's just too damned hard to do.

In those occasions, I like to read. Or exercise. Or eat. Or, well, anything to distract me from what MIGHT come back to me.

In reality, probably the best thing to do is anything that will refuel your confidence and desire to create. So doing whatever it is that inspires you to write is the best way to fill that time, I think. :-)

Good luck, and stay warm in those Christmas socks,

EJ

Rebecca Green Gasper said...

waiting...waiting...waiting...it's like time just stops. And you can't really do much of anything else because the next step seems to depend on the answer one is waiting for. Just know we are here, waiting with you.

Roland D. Yeomans said...

We plant. We water with tears. And we wait. Perhaps if you focus on a new project while waiting.

Poison Ivy had consumed my right hand, making typing agony. I am at block in my latest novel.

If you do focus on a new writing project, it will make the time go faster at least. May you get the answer you wish, Roland

Unknown said...

You guys are fantastical!

You'll be glad to know I am working on more stories. One is a new series, and the other is a continuation of the book I'm currently querying for.

The evenings aren't what's hard. It's the long work days. Your mind is aloud to roam. How does one fix that problem?

Nothing is truly unfixable, is it?

mooderino said...

Cupcakes and big socks will pretty much solve any problem in my experience.

mood

Nancy Thompson said...

Haha, I need the brief break anyway!

Natalie Aguirre said...

Waiting is so hard. I'll be there soon too. Maybe read a good book or watch some movies if you're not inspired to work on your new project.

Fingers crossed that you'll have good news soon.

Mel Chesley said...

Well, if waiting wasn't the hardest part, Tome Petty would never have written a song about it. ;)

And OMGah! I can't sleep with my face under the covers, either. And my two kitties have their own songs. Gir gets a sweet, descriptive one of her personality while Osiris gets kitty classical. I have always sung to my animals, is that weird?

It will all be okay and I'll keep my fingers crossed for you, too! I'd cross my eyes, but then I'd run into things. XD

Carrie Butler said...

Ugh. Waiting is a brand of torture all its own. I feel ya. :/

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Go find something else to do! Write something, go for a walk. Don't go bonkers, Jen.

Anonymous said...

Hang tight -- and work on something new. We've all been there before, and the best thing to do is dive headfirst into a new project. You'll be so busy you won't have time to fret!

dolorah said...

Never a waste of time to visit with friends and learn about their weird habits. I'm a writer ya know, some of that may end up in a book :)

Stay warm and keep your spirits up with those cupcakes. Good choice for comfort food.

......dhole

Tamara said...

hey Jen,
I popped over from Michael's site to say hi and commiserate with you about the absolute suckiness of waiting.

I hate it to. It can be soul-crushing. For me, the absolute best thing to do is throw myself head-first into another project. Getting caught up in a new book is the only thing that makes waiting to hear about the old one bearable.

Good luck!! And it is nice to meet you!

P.S. I am still wearing my Christmas socks sometimes too. ;)

Deniz Bevan said...

{{hugs}} to you! I know, waiting sucks, and every time I get another rejection I think "when will it happen???"
But we have to go on writing because we love our stories, our characters.
Whenever I see the phrase Christmas socks, I hear it in Mr Bean's voice :-)
Also, our cats have songs too! Sort of. We kinda pretend that the younger guy is in a band called Sam and the Food Bowls. Their first album is called Eat Drink Man Woman. Because he eats and drinks and orders us around :-)

Unknown said...

Stories are being written. Cookies are being devoured. And this chick would be going bonkers with or without a MS out on the town with some awesome big shot cool agent.

Sharon K. Mayhew said...

Your post was a great distraction, but now I must go check my inbox to see if I have any rejections or acceptances. (lol)

Michelle Merrill said...

Hey Jen! I love your random facts :) And I hear ya about the waiting. I'm waiting for one last critique partner, then it's on to querying soon after that...and that can be a long rocky road.

Good luck! It's great to be back in the blogging world again.

Carissa said...

Ugh, I hear you. I'm playing the queryland waiting game now too. It sucks. And I know I should just pick myself up and get back to work on my PhD, but writing my dissertation just sounds like *eeew*

Wish I could work on another novel!