Ups and Downs

     Life is full of ups and downs. Some days are great and others... not so much. The same goes with writing. Or more accurately- trying to get published. Some days I feel great- positive, upbeat, and sure that my book will get published because duh, it's awesome! And others days I'm just like maybe this will never happen for me. Some people take years and like ten books later to get published. And then there's people like Stephenie Meyer who give us all false hopes that our first book will get picked up almost immediately and will earn us an advance in the hundreds of thousands.
     Thanks alot Stephenie Meyer.
     Just kidding- I love you and your books.
     Anyway, I was psyched to actually get some feedback last week in one of my rejections. Unfortunately, now I just feel like- what the heck do I do??? I feel like I've edited so much that I've almost over-edited the thing. And I have NO CLUE how to make the voice more interesting.
     I can't help but wonder what my next step should be. Do I keep sending it out? Do I edit again? Do I leave it for awhile and then edit it again later??? ARGH! I NEED HELP!
     Ok, calm down Melanie.
     Two things I know I will do. First I'm going to stop sending it out. It's not good to bug agents around Thanksgiving through New Years anyway because who is really focused on work during that time??? In some ways I feel it's a waste of time not to be sending it out. On the other hand, it's a waste of time, and of great agents, to send it out when it's not the BEST it can be only to get nos in reply.
     The next thing I'm going to do is get the Calgary Public Library's Writer in Residence to take a look at it. Unfortunately that means I'll have to pay $112 bucks for a Calgary library card. I know- ridiculous. But I'm hoping it will be worth my while. Hoping...
     So, I think until then I will let my book sit, I will try NOT to think about it (ha! yeah right) and I will edit it again once the writer in residence has given me her opinion on it. THEN I will start to send it out again and hope, HOPE that it's good enough to make it to the next step.
    Sigh. Why does it have to be so hard???