Eye of Newt and Hide of Rhino

Where Am I: Home in my favorite chair

Listening To: The lower decible sounds of my home - small mutterings from the parrot, crunching sounds from the guinea pig, hum of the HEPA filter, tick of the clock...



I was chatting with my best writing buddy the other evening. She has reached that enviable stage of sending queries to agents. This, naturally, is HUGELY exciting and, yes, I am a lovely shade of puce over the whole thing. Mostly, however, I'm excited. Such a lot of hours and so much energy has gone into her novel (a very clever historical fiction, by the way) and I really can't wait to hear how much the agents love it. You see, I know they will. She, on the other hand, seems less confident. I guess that isn't surprising. In fact, she likened it to sending her first born off to catch the bus on the very first day of school. She also mentioned feeling more than a little queasy. So much for that sense of accomplishment, huh?

That isn't to say, though, that she isn't excited. She definitely is. But she is having a serious case of nerves that amounts to the writer's equivalent of stage fright. Who can blame her? She has put herself right out there and asked to be told what professionals think of her work. Ack! How can a writer not be nervous? It did get me thinking about taking that risk and how to deal with the rejection slips that all writers get. I've had a few, myself, already since I have sent out a few short stories to magazines. They currently reside in a file drawer where theyboth haunt me and fill me with accomplishment. On the one hand, I did send something out. I'm proud of that. On the other, I still see the fact that they didn't want my story and that always comes with a low-murmured, "Ouch."

How many times have we been advised to develop a thick skin if we want to be successful writers? I've lost count. It's still sound advice and I do try but it has always seemed a very difficult and magical transformation. But I think I'm beginning to get it now.

It isn't so much a case of developing a thicker skin as it is a case of earning the battle scars that come from putting yourself out there. It isn't rhino skin. It's scar tissue. There really isn't a magical formula for that, now is there?