Firsts: The First Query

When it comes to talking about writing firsts, it's easy to get a little lost in all the "firsts" I've experienced.
It was hard to choose which first to talk about. In the end, though, I decided there was no first more memorable, or terrifying, than that first query being sent.

It was a moment that had been coming for a couple of years. I wrote and scrapped and started over. I revised and deleted and changed and added. And yeah, you probably know the drill. Then, that moment came when it was finally time to press send on that very first query. I'm pretty sure my finger hovered over the send button for a record amount of time. And that was before I slammed my laptop closed and walked away, convinced there was no way I could ever actually send a query.

But then I told myself I had to rip it off. Like a band aid. (I tell myself this frequently.) So that's what I did. I re-opened the email and sent the darn thing. It was an amazing feeling! And then I wanted to do it again. And again. So I did. I sent those queries because it felt good. But then the fear sets in. That omg they could be reading my query/pages right now fear. Yeah, that feeling never passed. That's the thing about sending the first query. It didn't become any less scary even after the thirtieth. But there really is a magical feeling in realizing you're doing it. You're out there and trying and maybe it won't work out, but it's still all kinds of awesome.

If you've been there and done that, what was it like for you to send that first query?

 

New Goals for the New Year

 

We are now three days into 2012 and I'm already putting things off. As any procrastinator knows, that's probably not a good sign, but at least this time I can honestly say I'm procrastinating for a good reason.

Which brings us to my very first and most important goal of 2012:

Finish this manuscript. 

And it's happening. I'm really, truly going to finish another manuscript (maybe even today!!!) and it's something I'm pretty dang proud of.  It's also scary because that means I will be tackling other goals that I have set for 2012, but hey, any way you cut it, this is a very good thing.

For some reason mentioning what those other goals for 2012 are is hard for me to do. It's like saying them out loud will somehow curse me. Like I need to just not say them until they've already come true. Not every goal is like that. Some of them involve no luck at all, but are more about practice and dedication.

So goal number two for 2012 is:

Blog more. 

I've heard of other authors and bloggers scheduling posts months in advance and having so many ideas for blog posts that they just don't have the time to post them all. That is so not me. I struggle on a daily basis to post on my personal blog. What do I say? Is anyone even reading it? Do I sound stupid?

Well, I'm dumping all that self doubt out the window and I'm going to commit to posting at least twice a week from here on out.

Other goals for the year include:

Writing a great query letter.
Sending out that first query.
Starting my next new shiny idea by the end of January. 

What about you? What are your goals for 2012? If you've made a blog post about it, please leave us a link. We'd love to check it out. You can also just post your goals in the comments. That works too. :-)