It is a business not a hobby.

As promised when I started this blog, I wanted to share the good and bad times with you. By that I don't mean my life, only my writing life.

So here goes:

The bad first. I received another rejection, but as rejections go it was basic and said nothing about the book or the plot, writing or target market. Which is frustrating, although you may think I should be upset about this, I'm not. I'm quite lucky in that I do have contact with publishers and other agents who take time to make personal comments on my work. It is obvious to me that the subject matter in this case didn't appeal to that particular agent. Therefore it is going off to another agent and with some luck it will be more to their liking. It is just a matter of finding an agent who loves my work as much as I do. On and up.

The good news: Well this is different. I'm off to Winchester Writers Conference again, but this time as a mentor. This means I'll be helping delegates find their way around and answering questions etc. I'm also looking forward to catching up with old friends I've made over the years along with the networking with possible new contacts. A few friends from my writing circle are attending for the first time, I hope they find it as informative and useful as I have over the years. I'll report back once I've attended and let you know how it all went.

I hope this helps you face rejection and realise that you will get rejected many times when you aim to be a writer. Even once published it isn't always guaranteed that you'll never receive a rejection. So my advice is 'get used to it' then it won't hurt quite so much or for as long. After all you are selling a product. It is a business not a hobby.

Sponsored Walk

Sponsored walk in aid of the Hospice of St. Francis – Berkhamsted. I wanted to participate in this walk in 2007, but never got around to organising myself. So this year when the flyer came out I took the plunge and enlisted. However I didn’t want to do it alone so I got the girls from work to join me. Altogether there were seven of us.

Three others from work, Fiona, Chris and Claire along with Fiona’s daughters Lorna and Emma and an amazing lady called Rita, who has climbed Everest!! And boy couldn’t she walk!!
We had all prepared for the walk. Out every Sunday in all weathers, thunderstorms included. Walking at night we didn’t practice, but although it was dark we were still able to see quite clearly. We set off at around 12 midnight and returned some three hours forty minutes later – or thereabouts. However the younger members of our group, Emma, Lorna and Rita arrived back twenty minutes before us.
At the beginning of the walk it was warm and dry. In fact we had all worn a second t-shirt underneath our ‘Walk with the Stars’ t-shirt by the time we’d reached Berkhamsted from Hemel Hempstead we were all too hot. We slipped off our under shirts and headed off nibbling on our bars of chocolate and sipping our water. We’d gone about 500 yards when the heavens opened and we got drenched. There was a quick struggle with back packs and waterproofs and we were heading back to Hemel Hempstead. It is a strange thing, but the walk back appeared to be much easier to do. I don’t know why, I guess it was the call of a hot cup of tea that made us walk faster.
My pity was with those we passed going back that hadn’t yet made it to Berkhamsted sports centre, but were still just entering Berkhamsted town. They were soaked and still had a long way to go.
Walking into the school hall after the walk was great. You received a round of applause and after registering, got a medal and a leaflet telling us how stretch out over the next few days. We had bacon rolls, I just had bacon, and a lovely hot cup of tea. We took a few pictures of ourselves and
We set off to our cars, more walking, and as we did, it poured down again. Our thoughts were with those struggling through the second downpour. We were soon safe and dry in the car and heading home. Again past ladies still walking.
It was a great evening. One of challenges and self achievements. I’m glad I did it, and although we all ached the next day, we felt that we had achieved something special. Altogether I think we raised around £700 and the total so far from the hospice has been £170,000.00 a great amount.
You can still donate if you want to, just go to http://www.justgiving.com/susanfranklin or http://www.justgiving.com/christinebayliss or http://www.justgiving.com/clairehughes10 or http://www.justgiving.com/emmaandrita
For more information about the hospice of St. Francis go to their website: http://www.stfrancis.org.uk/index.htm
Thank you for reading this and for all your support.
Susan

Submitting again.

Since reporting on the SCWBI retreat, I've been busily working away at preparing submissions. Research, re-writing and revising. But that is all done now, well for the three manuscripts I've just sent off. Technically I've sent five things out. Two of those five have been for the Winchester Writers Conference in a couple of weeks. Unfortunately it doesn't look like I'll be able to go down this year. I'll miss my writing friends and catching up with their lives. And the networking that happens naturally. It is frustrating, but something I'll have to get used to. Two of the other manuscripts have gone to a publisher, after a positive conversation. they are both picture books. One simple but hopefully beautiful text, the other a text with a musical refrain. I can but hope they will be loved, just as I love them. The last manuscript has gone off to an agent, and this is a pitch for representation for my fantasy work, and the series I'm currently writing.
I love writing, fantasy and will one day be shouting on here saying I've done it but until that day occurs, I'll keep on submitting and writing.