So yesterday, when I sat down at my desk, I knew I had only three pages of revision left to do of The Mysterious Disappearing Flower and I'd already selected the lucky publisher to whom it would be sent.
'Easy! That should only take me an hour at the most,' thought I.
But...
Starting at 10 in the morning, I finished the three pages quickly enough.
Then I looked at the submission guidelines. Sigh...why is it that nearly every publisher has different requirements? Ignore them at your peril.
For a few moments I wondered if I could be bothered. Common-sense prevailed. Who would be the only person to lose out if I gave up? ME, that's who.
So - I divided the story up into chapters, which I was thinking of doing anyway, and printed out the first three with a smart title page. Right font, right spacing, pages numbered correctly? Check.
A DETAILED synopsis? I have a short synopsis, but... So, I wrote a detailed synopsis. (There must be some law which states that synopses take longer to craft than the story itself.) Print it out.
Find matching paperclips.
(Yes, my story is SURE to be rejected by the publisher if my paperclips don't match.)
The covering letter. (I DO write every one of these individually. No cut and paste jobs for me.) Write the covering letter, giving thought to the submission guidelines. Print it out. Sign it.
The SAE. Find the publisher's address. Address the envelope. Put the documents in the envelope. Check.
Drive to the Post Office before I lose my nerve. Get the package weighed. Buy the stamps. Stick them on.
The kiss for good luck before I post the envelope. (The envelope. Not me, though I could do with one.)
IT IS NOW 4.30.
'What did you get up to today?' asks Pete when he gets in from work.
'Oh, I sent off The Mysterious Disappearing Flower to a publisher.'
'Is that all?'
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