Imbolc                                                                   Hare Moon

I want to say welcome to any of you new to Ancientrails.  One of the reasons these posts keep coming is knowing you’re out there, whoever you are.  It’s not the only reason, however, since I write this mostly as a continuation of my previous hand-written journals, so I’d do it anyhow, but being read adds to the fun.  Just for your information you are one among a readership that now includes all continents, many countries and lots of the large cities in the world.  Not sure what that’s all about, but hey, the more… well,  you know. (or maybe you don’t.  …the merrier.)

Imbolc                                                                 Hare Moon

Deucalion and Pyrrha have come to a mossy, ruined temple, a pale image of its former, undrowned self.  They bend down and offer prayers to Themis, a goddess of prophecy and justice.  They are the only two people left after the flood. “We two are a crowd,” Deucalion says to Pyrrha.

This was in the afternoon’s section of Ovid and it rang a bell with me as I submitted my manuscripts.  The dominant word being submit.  The process of submitting a manuscript definitely has an offering quality to it, a sacrifice to whatever powers lie outside the study, those demi-gods who rule on the fate of creative work.

This is not a feeling I like very much, because there is always the possibility, as there was for Deucalion and Pyrrha, that the offering will not be accepted.  In fact, I’ve already received one, “Not for me.”  That’s after sending seven submissions out before lunch.

E-mail makes submission easier.  And rejection, too. Yes, it stung. Just a bit, but it’s there. Not a bee sting, not that much, but a quick injection of rejection.  This is normal.  No sacrifice, no rejection.  No sacrifice, no acceptance.  The awful dialectic all creative people face. Perhaps this has been the root of religious sentiments from the very beginning.

In paleolithic times art must have had sacred power, the capacity to call up the animals for the hunt or incite the slaying of enemies, the rising of the sun.  What, then, if the artist was not good enough?  What if the art would not work the magic?  Or, what if the tribe or clan believed it wouldn’t?  What then artist, poet, singer?

The stakes feel the same now.  At least to me.

Imbolc                                                                       New (Hare) Moon

A day spent mostly with the query letter, an odd ritual in the publishing business, one involved in the finding of an agent.  This is the next step for Missing and for me with my business hat on.  I found the division of creative work mentioned in something I read a while back (which I believe I mentioned here) into three parts useful.

First, of course, is the creative, the artist who produces the work shoving aside the internal critic and censor, actively advancing an idea until it attains an initial shape.  Then comes the editor/the revisor who takes a manuscript and cuts out the not story, leaving only the flesh of the thing.  No fat. Finally, there is the business person who takes the work after the editor/the revisor finishes with it and sees it finds its market, its place in the outer world.

The synopsis of Missing (1,500 words) is done.  I’ve copied out the first five pages.  These go in the query, but follow the query letter itself.  The query letter opens with a hook, a compelling one sentence compression of the work.  A one paragraph synopsis follows that and, finally, a paragraph about word length, writing credits, state of the manuscript, or proposal in publishing speak.

I have a draft of the query letter now.  It will sit for a bit, cool down, then I’ll revise it. That’s what I did today for the synopsis.  It’s time for me to get this part right and I’m doing it.

Imbolc                                                               Valentine Moon

OK.  Today I push myself past the barriers, past the fear and write a query letter for Missing.  I’ll get a bit of feedback on it, then I’m going to start sending it out.

(Bruno Liljefors-Portrait of Father)

Read an interesting article about the creative process and it applies to me.  This woman said you need three different personas to be an artist.  The first is the creative who writes the book, blocking out self-censors and shoulds to get at the story.  The second is the editor, who takes the creatives work and shapes it into a polished work.  The third is the agent who handles the business side of the enterprise, writing query letters, submitting work, negotiating contracts.

With Missing I’ve gotten through the creative and editor personas and now I have to take on the persona of the agent.  I will represent Missing to the fast changing world of publishing.  Starting now.

Imbolc                                                            Valentine Moon

Missing, the 5.5 version, is now in the machine and backed up.  Wow.

About a year ago I attended a very good marketing class taught by local agent and author Steve Edelstein.  It’s time to review those notes and start putting them into practice.

Oh. My.