Okay, so you know when you've screwed up big time and you totally want to pull all your hair out, throw a huge temper tantrum, and then punch a hole in the wall? Well, that happened to me yesterday, and let me tell you- I think I did throw a little tantrum, and quite possibly made myself bald. The wall is still in tact though...but only because of my joint problem in my hands (otherwise that wall would have been pulverized).
Then, you call Hubsies all in a dither and of course he's at work and can't do anything, and you hang up and freak out some more. Then, you calm down a little, take some deep breaths...and it's supposed to get better at that point. But it doesn't. You think sleeping on it will work. Nope. Still freaking out.
But then, you have to realize the consequences of your actions, and now you know for next time what NOT to do. It makes you stronger and more wise. Or maybe the valium just helps you forget it ever happened.
It's kind of the same thing in the publishing world. Of course I don't really know what it's like to screw up big time with agents or editors or whatever, because I haven't tried to pitch my book yet.
But these people do:
What NOT to put in your query letter to a literary agent
These people TOTALLY messed up royally in their queries. I don't know if they just crawled out of a rock and decided one day to query an agent, but it totally makes me feel better about myself. I have a nice laugh when I read these, and think "Ah, one less query I have to worry about being better than mine".
Anyway, so when you mess up royally in your life, just go to that website and have a good laugh at the people who totally just ruined their writing careers. It helps. I promise.
P.S. seriously, it's okay to laugh- if you are serious about becoming an author, then you KNOW what to put in your query... and definitely what not to put.
