THAT moment in time
A writer has several of THOSE moments. The minute you hit the last period in a manuscript and sit back and go “oh wow, I’m done.”
Uhm, no you’re not, you are done the draft. Now you reread and fix and edit and smooth and splice and erase and add and doctor and polish and reread and start it all over again. A few times. A manuscript is never done until you cannot get your hands on it anymore. THEN and only then is it done. By that time, many writers are so sick of that story they are like THANK YOU, JESUS, I AM DONE!
Then there is the moment when you sell your first story, be it epubbed or NY or whatever. Something you wrote sold! For me, I sat and stared at the email from my editor at Samhain (realizing I could now say I HAD an editor) and then promptly threw up. I shamefully did. If I had to compare the feeling to something a non writer might understand, I felt remarkably similar to the instant I looked at that first EPT and saw two lines. There was split second of Wait, what? Then a rush of dizzying OMG followed quickly by Holy shit I did it. My hands shook so badly it took nearly ten minutes to type the response email back accepting the offer.
I called my husband. And got his voice mail. Bummer.
I called my mother. That’s great, do you have my tupperware cake carrier? Who gives a fuck about your tupperware, I sold a book here! ggrrrrr
I call my best friend at work. She is in the middle of a 911 emergency call (she is a dispatcher). Even as excited as I was, I understood that, you know, life and limb come before my book sale, told her to call me later. Bummer.
So I go to a message board I know and love(Hi Twinshock ladies), full of supporting cyber friends. THEY went nuts for me. Finally SOMEBODY to celebrate with! YAY! This was the first place I went when I sold my second book. I learned who really mattered, huh?
Then I went to my writers’ board and THEY were full of good jobs and accolades, knowing what it really meant.
Then I threw up again and did some laundry.
A different MOMENT came when I got the THE CALL from my agent. I missed it. I was picking up my kids from school and forgot my cell phone. When I came home and saw the name and number(gotta love caller ID), see the EPT reaction above and repeat. Now I wanted to return the call but do you know how noisy three young kids can be immediately after school?
I pulled off one of my proudest parenting moments, I explained to the oldest (10 at the time) and supplied her with an entire package of chocolate chip cookies, three Capri Sun drinks, a forbidden Spongebob DVD and had her take the twins to her room. I made my call in complete quiet. One glorious hour to talk with the woman I would later sign on with.
The entire conversation, I literally had to remind myself to breathe, speak slower and not vomit while on the phone. After I hung up, I sat in total stillness for about three minutes and just listened to my blood race. This thing, this dream, this illusive often times lonely path I picked was heading somewhere and damn it was scary and exciting and boy did I need to throw up again.
I have a nervous stomach thing.
Now, I hope and pray I have several more moments in my career. I long for the call saying I sold to NY. Dare I dream of anything higher?
Sure, I can dream and work hard toward those goals but I can pretty much be sure of one thing. I will vomit.
Great post. Hope you get that call from NY! And hope you don’t really throw up when you do!
The first Call (in email form) stunned me so much that I didn’t react with the appropriate glee.
The second Call (also in email form) I screamed so loud, my husband though I was being attacked by giant spiders. I immediately called one of my friends who was excited for me. Then I blabbed online.
I haven’t gotten The agent Call or The NY publisher Call yet, but I’m pretty sure there will be hysteria. I’m also sure you’ll get the NY Call first. I’ll just follow your lead.
I got “The Call” at work on a Monday, and though I was expecting it (He emailed on Friday to ask if he could call Monday to discuss my book) I was a freakin basket case. My boss was sitting in the room with me as I non nonchalantly answered his questions about my characters, why I dropped the ball halfway through (Yep, he said that) and what I thought I could to do make it better. I had NO IDEA what he was asking me for, so I came right out and point blank said “What exactly does this mean?” He said, “I’m sending you a contract to look over and if everything looks okay, send it back signed.”
Holy Shit did he just say what I thought he said. How many people have said, “They don’t sign you unless you have a really good book.” Err…he specifically told me I had “The Voice” and the book could be edited.
I hung up, ran into the bathroom and tried desperately not to scream, emailed my husband who freaked out with me, then my mom who said “When can I buy the book?”
I still get a little Twilight Zone, like did it really happen. When he sells my first book, THEN I will puke.
I feel so old…I got my first call back in 2005 from EC on a rainy Sunday afternoon and my first thought was it must be a joke because surely editors didn’t work on the weekend? LOL
My ‘second agen’t call was another email. I sent her one of my e- books to read and the next day she emailed me back, I assumed to say that she’d got it, but no, she’d got it, read it and wanted to sign me up.
Things seem to happen fast for me when they do happen
My first NY contract was sorted in 48 hrs…
And its weird how no one in the family really gets it? I have to go and find other writers to squee with who understand. Of course my family now think that its just my job and that being a writer really is easy if I can do it LOL
I have to say I’ve never thrown up, though-done the happy dance maybe but …
You’ll get that call! And then one day they’ll be offering advances and book signings, and if you’re lucky, you’ll even have your own whyInezsucks.com full of jealous, frustrated, unpublished writers!
But no matter who calls, you’ll always be my bird.