I put some finishing touches on a new short story of mine (which I've titled The Inhibitor), went kayaking, scuba diving, and even managed to memorize a good chunk of lines for a play I'll be in this fall. It was great!
So that also means that I no longer have any excuses for putting off the dreaded query letters. It's well past time that I sat down and composed a number of these things for both editors and agents. But this is exactly where I drag my feet and suddenly find a million other things that urgently need to be done instead. Has anyone else had this problem? How did you overcome it?
I wonder, sometimes, why this is (and I ponder this instead of spending my precious time on composing the queries in question, of course). There's something potentially and nerve-wrackingly final about a query, though, isn't there? Editor Jones says 'No,' and then, suddenly, that's it for Editor Jones. That avenue is suddenly closed. And though I know that there are many, many avenues out there, I have a definite aversion to closing any of them.
However, I have decided that I WILL write at least three query letters this very weekend, and I am putting that down here to ensure that I follow through. I'm hoping that by setting this goal (and putting it into writing for all to see), I'll be sufficiently motivated to follow through. Hey, whatever works, right? It's time to face those fears.
I'll post again when it's done, just to keep myself accountable (hey - I need it!) I can do this!