Pitching Pressure

This week is a big week for me.  This weekend I will get my first chance ever to pitch to a professional editor.  I’m feeling nervous but also excited.  This could be the first step in actually having a career in writing.

My biggest challenge will be not psyching myself out.  I don’t do well with projecting down the road too far.  A lot of people will talk about the importance of staying positive and visualizing success but it’s not for me.  I’m a problem solver, which means I start anticipating potential problems so I can solve them.  It’s a great tool in most of life but I’ve learned I have to be careful about overwhelming myself.  The further you go into the future, the more possibilities there are and the more potential problems you have to be prepared for.

Thus I’m telling myself not to get too far ahead.  One step at a time and no pressure on any particular step.  I’m going to go in and do the best I can and see what happens.  If the editor likes it, then great.  I can send off the manuscript and see what happens after that.  If she decides it’s not for her, that’s fine.  I’ll have the experience under my belt and I can send out queries to other editors and agents.

I’ve been working hard on getting the fifth draft of Lord of Underhill ready.  I’m most of the way through the first half, which is where the majority of the changes needed to be made.  I’d like to be ready to be able to email it the next day if she wants it but I’ve been told it’s all right if I need another few weeks.

The website is up and running and I’m fairly happy with it.  I may not be able to afford a professional web-designer but I don’t think it looks kludgy and amateurish.  I have my business cards with my new logo and motto.  I’ve considered whether or not to start up a Facebook account but for now, I think it would be too much.  I’d rather do a few things well than take on a lot of tasks and do them badly.