Selling My Soul (In a Good Way) is a weekly journal

about my efforts to get a debut novel published.

In sailing there is a phrase known as being “in the doldrums.”

In the early-19th century, the word once reserved for a feeling of despondency came to be applied to certain tropical regions of the ocean marked by the absence of strong winds. Sailing vessels, reliant on wind propulsion, struggled to make headway in these regions, leading to long, arduous journeys.

In the doldrums is where I’m at with my hopes of getting Through a Forest Wilderness into the hands of an agent who “loves” it. Of course, that could change tomorrow. After all, I have sent out sixty-five (65) queries and have received twenty (20) rejections. Simple math will tell you that there are forty-five (45) potential I-love-your-writing-and-want-to-represent-you on the verge of contacting me from the realm of traditional publishing. But fifteen (15) of those potential agents received material from me over three (3) months ago! Three months is a season of silence.

Could I still hear from any of those long ago, far away agents?

Sure.

Will I?

Since I’m stuck in the doldrums, the hoarse whisper that only I hear answers, “Fat chance, kid.”

That hoarse whisper doesn’t even generate enough wind to move a square inch of my limp sails, er, my writing hopes.

Will I continue waiting for the rise of the metaphoric winds?

Yeah, I will. I mean, what part of writing isn’t foolish, isn’t fraught with rejections, isn’t trying to create a meaningful collection of vowels and consonants onto a blank page or screen?

I have sent one query this week and received two rejections.

++++++++++++++

“Write what you know. That should leave you with a lot of free time.” – Howard Nemerov

Photo by Johannes Plenio on Unsplash