Sometimes I send out things before I’ve let them simmer on the stove long enough. The persons to whom I send them gag and recommend I cook them longer.

Other times, my perfectionism and doubt about my ability have made me pop things into a drawer. They never find their way into the burgeoning slush piles of editors or agents.

Which one is worse? I guess the first. But, either way, I don’t get the material published.

Dual personalities can be such a pain!

Press on!

I don’t blame the agent because I definitely should’ve known it needed work, but I wish he would’ve glanced at it and said, “This is not ready. Try again.” I’ve since worked with a critique group, read some helpful books on self editing, and worked with a professional freelance editor. It’s a completely different manuscript, but I’m wondering if there’s any hope for it after it has been rejected by five publishers.

I am of the belief that every time I read something I’ve written, I’ll likely want to change something. Perfectionism is a beast, I tell ya!

Thanks for the great reminder!

I also have another question. Do you recommend you only query if you have the proposal complete? I realize the manuscript needs to be complete, but what about the proposal?

I suspect that if a novel is very well written, it can generate enough heat to strike again, and perhaps enough heat for more than one target.

I’m keeping this “How To Know It’s Finished Without A Doubt” list on file and I’m going through those steps with my ms now.

Thank you!

I know this is usually the “kiss of death” to say this, but I’m going to anyway– I’m a newbie to the industry. And, well—I followed some advice that led to submitting before I probably should have. Since the submissions, my involvement with ACFW, crit groups, and writing courses have led to revisions that produced a much tighter novel. SO, I often wondered if I should re-submit.

As far as I know, my O/C friend is still kneading to this day, no closer to popping that loaf in the oven than she ever was! 🙂 🙂

I am sure a writer can go too far in the opposite direction, too. Always kneading, but always afraid to bake, because “What if I’ve made a mistake?”

Finding that balance can be challenging!

–we’ve actually become better writers and know how to solve problems that, honestly, we didn’t know how to solve six months before…
–we’ve gotten a new improved job–hence a better platform…
–we’ve sold some other writing, changing our perspective on potential promotion or marketing…
–we’ve had a new round of critiques or entered the ms. in a contest where someone gave it absolutely brilliant feedback, based on an insight we may not have had about the story earlier…

or any one of these in combination with any of the others!

None of these is an indication that anyone “submitted too soon.” They are, however, an indication that the slowness of the submitting/response machinery itself can often work in such a way as to make an author appear to have done so.

That being said, I’m a firm believer in “when in doubt, wait it out.” The white-hot heat of “this is ready, this is ready, this has to go out right now!!!!” has more frequently come back to bite me than anything else. So I do my best to tamp it down and look at the work with clear eyes before dropping it in the e-mail box. 🙂

My take,
Janny

But, thanks, Rachelle, for helping us understand that agents are nice people who understand and are (usually?) patient with those of us who have a penchant for being a little overzealous.

Rachelle hinted at this in her post, but I would think that asking to submit a revised proposal would leave the agent questioning your level of professionalism rather than inpressing her with your conscientiouness.

The way I deal with this is to submit the most polished manuscript I can, then put it away and start work on the next project. It often takes months to hear back from an editor or agent, so instead of fretting over the completed novel, I focus on starting a new one. This fills the waiting time and eliminates the constant tweaking that makes me second-guess myself.

This post seems to be about both proposals and manuscripts, although the answer seemed to address just manuscripts. When is a new and improved proposal okay?