Monday, December 27, 2021

The In-Between Times

Erica here. I hope you had a wonderful Christmas with family and friends!




Here we are, on the Monday between Christmas and New Years. It’s a bit of a limbo time. The big rush of Christmas Day has passed, the gift giving, the caroling, the feasting is mostly done. And we’re days away from New Year’s.

But the kids are still home from school, there are still some family gatherings to navigate, and the need to start thinking about removing decorations begins in the back of your mind. You're stuck in the 'in-between' time.

In the writing life, there are lots of ‘in-between’ times, too.

  • The time between when you decide to write a novel and when that novel is completed.
  • The time between when you submit a novel to an agent or editor and when you hear back.
  • The time between when you hear from your agent that she is submitting your work to a publisher and when you hear a verdict on the submission.
  • The time between when you get the call from your agent that a publisher is offering a contract and when that contract arrives and you can FINALLY share about it.
  • The time between when you sign the contract and when you get your first edits, second edits, third edits, cover art, a release date, a marketing plan, and FINALLY hold the book in your hot little hands.
  • The time between when book one and book two release.
  • The time between your first contract and when you might get another one.

As you can see, there are lots of ‘between’ times, and these are only a few you may encounter. So what is a writer to do in those ‘between’ times?

This may sound boring, but the number one thing a writer should do is…WRITE. If you’ve submitted a novel to an agent, don’t sit by the inbox waiting. Write the next book. If you’re waiting to hear from a publisher, write the next book. If you’re waiting on edits from your publisher, write the next book.

With so much ‘between’ time factored into the writing life, it can be easy to fritter away the days, waiting, thinking, doing all the things that aren’t writing. But writers write. That’s all there is to it. Write a novella as a lead magnet for your newsletter. If you don’t have a contract currently, write the next book. Start a new series, target a specific publisher, and write the book!

Perhaps you won’t write at the same fever-pitch as when you have a solid deadline, but don’t waste time either.


 

Why, you ask?

1. Writer’s write, and your writing muscles will atrophy if you don’t use them.

2. More than one agent has gone to a client and said, “A publisher needs X in a hurry. Do you have anything that will fit?” If you’ve been resting on your laurels instead of writing, your answer will always be, ‘Um, nope.’ (Sad face emoji.)

3. If a publisher is interested in  you, they may very well ask, “What else do you have?” And believe me, you want to have lots of completed things to show them.

Those are just some of the reasons you don’t want to squander the in-between times. Rather than sit and be frustrated at not getting any news, get your fingers on that keyboard and create something new! Be a good steward of your writing time and opportunities, and don't waste the 'between times!'

Jane Austen meets Sherlock Holmes in this new Regency mystery series

Newly returned from finishing school, Lady Juliette Thorndike is ready to debut in London society. Due to her years away, she hasn't spent much time with her parents, and sees them only as the flighty, dilettante couple the other nobles love. But when they disappear, she discovers she never really knew them at all. They've been living double lives as government spies--and they're only the latest in a long history of espionage that is the family's legacy.

Now Lady Juliette is determined to continue their work. Mentored by her uncle, she plunges into the dangerous world of spy craft. From the glittering ballrooms of London to the fox hunts, regattas, and soirees of country high society, she must chase down hidden clues, solve the mysterious code her parents left behind, and stay out of danger. All the while, she has to keep her endeavors a secret from her best friend and her suitors--not to mention nosy, irritatingly handsome Bow Street runner Daniel Swann, who suspects her of a daring theft.

Can Lady Juliette outwit her enemies and complete her parents' last mission? Or will it lead her to a terrible end?

The Debutante's Code is now out in the world! You can get your copy HERE: https://amzn.to/3GQnoZt Or wherever you buy your fiction! 



Best-selling, award-winning author Erica Vetsch loves Jesus, history, romance, and sports. She’s a transplanted Kansan now living in Minnesota, and she is married to her total opposite and soul mate! When she’s not writing fiction, she’s planning her next trip to a history museum and cheering on her Kansas Jayhawks and New Zealand All Blacks. You can connect with her at her website, www.ericavetsch.com where you can read about her books and sign up for her newsletter, and you can find her online at https://www.facebook.com/EricaVetschAuthor/ where she spends way too much time!




 

 






17 comments:

  1. This is marvelous! Such good advice, the same advice I was given by Karen White and Madeline Hunter in an 18 month span of time... and I took that advice and kept writing, stockpiling stories so when that editor asked... "What else do you have?" I had a whole bunch to offer... and eight of those stories ended up becoming Love Inspired books.

    It's easy to slip out of the habit, but if you form the habit of writing daily, working daily, it becomes as natural as sleeping and eating. It's just... what you do. And the work accumulates. You know I talk about the 1K/day.... that's 365,000 words a year. That's six books.

    Success comes from successful habits.

    And it's a new year dawning. I hope folks see this, read it and heed it!

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    1. Ruthy, you are an inspiration to all of us not to let any time lie fallow! <3

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  2. So much in between in life. Making the most of it is imperative. I just finished The Debutant’s Code and loved it. Trying to get my review up but we have been 2 days without internet, phone, or tv. Have a Blessed New Year.

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    1. Hi, Lucy! Two days without internet? Yikes! I'm so happy you loved The Debutante's Code! <3 Happy New Year to you, too!

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  3. Thank you, Erica. I have always had mixed feelings about The Week Between. I was in journalism and it was torture to come up with stories, trust me, NOBODY wants to talk to a reporter from Dec. 24 to Jan. 1. But it's also a sweet time of being together with your children and your spouse if they have the week off. In my part of the country it's sledding and skating and watching movies with hot chocolate and visiting the people you didn't see during Advent. It's a slowing-down time which I greatly appreciate. In England they take their kids to "pantomimes" and I tried to do that with my girls, to find a children's theater production or a movie. And I think it's a time of turning inward, to mull on What Just Happened, the Word becoming flesh for our sakes.
    Christmas isn't linear, it's a loop and we keep adding memories. Our family goes right up until Twelfth Night, so we have an extended Christmas season.
    Oh Erica, I can relate to everything you said and will take it to heart. I'm between projects right now and am having writers' block for the first time in my life. I think it's my COVID brain but that's no excuse. I will write again, I will write again, I will write again said the little Kaybee that could.
    May be back later.
    Kathy Bailey
    Still your Kaybee
    Working it out in New Hampshire

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    1. Ah, I feel you, Kaybee! Covid writer's block is a thing...but not a thing that cannot be overcome. Now is the time to try that thing you always wanted to try, no pressure, no expectations, just fingerpaint with your idea!

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  4. This is such great advice, Erica, and very much needed right now. I wrote and published secular books from 2007-2013, but they weren't with my "dream publisher", Harlequin. So, in between publishing these books I submitted several times to Harlequin, but they were never accepted. I received a few revision requests from a couple of their editors, and it felt like I was SO close, but it never happened. Needless to say, my self-confidence dwindled to nothing, and I just gave up altogether. I did some freelance writing and ghostwriting for a few years, but it was never what I dreamed of doing. Now, here I am, trying again to get my foot in the door with Harlequin, and I'm wishing I had kept pushing all those years ago, because I can tell I've gotten rusty. I'm determined to not let that happen again, though, no matter what. Thank you for the wonderful advice and encouragement. I hope you have a blessed new year!

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    1. Stephanie! You brave soul! Many many Seekerville points awarded to you for diving back in! Hone those skills. They don't disappear, they just need reawakening! I applaud your perseverance, and when you do sign that contract, pop in and let us know, because we will all celebrate with you!!!

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  5. Good stuff, Erica! We really should make better use of the "in-between" times, shouldn't we?

    You know, my debut novella was one of those "What have you got that's ready to go?" situations. Tyndale jumped on the digital first bandwagon and asked agents for completed manuscripts from unpublished authors. My agent and I were shopping Stealing Jake, so we submitted it, and it was chosen as part of Tyndale's Digital First Initiative back in 2011.

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  6. I agree with the others that this is great advice and I definitely need to take it! I've been in an in-between time for too long now and now I need to get back to it. Thank you, Seekerville, for being such a wonderful and motivatig and inspiring blog for all of us!

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    1. Hi, Glynis! Start small if you need to. 100 words? 200 words in one day? Plot a scene and get stuck in? It's the starting that is the hardest. :) You can do it!

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  7. Great post, Erica. I plan to get back into the writing at the New Year and really make myself move on it this time. I also am looking forward to reading Debutante's Code. It is in my January TBR pile after I read Christmas books.

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    1. Sandy, we're cheering you on! I'm in the plotting mode so I can start a new book after New Year's!

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  8. Such great reminders, Erica, about the importance of regular writing.

    I always enjoy the relaxed pace of the week between Christmas and New Years! We're still celebrating Christmas without all the hustle and bustle. I love the stillness in the evening when the tree is lit and the outdoor lights are twinkling through the windows. I also love praying through the week that's so special! Today we celebrated the Feast of the Holy Innocents. All those precious little ones killed because Herod feared the Lord. Of course, my heart breaks for their parents and what they endured. Life is not always easy. We know that too well, but Christ brings light into the darkness! Glory to God in the Highest!

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    1. There's something to be said about rest and reflection, and this time of year is a good time. We are blessed to know about the Light that came into the world, and this time of year is a wonderful time to meditate on the goodness of God to send a Savior.

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    2. Jane Austin meets Sherlock Holmes. Absolutely great, Erica. I'm re-reading it again right now.

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