I took two breaks today. One to go to math class, where we went over last week's test. On the way back to the car, I ran into someone I knew. This semester he's taking his first baby steps into the wonderful world of C++. Har. I told him all about how he won't be needing that a couple semesters from now. My other break was a short walk to the post office to throw my novel back onto the mercy of the publishing world. The soonest I can expect a response is the Fourth of July, and they probably won't get back to me until September.
Yesterday I used my procrastination time to prepare a packet of sample chapters, cover letter, and synopsis. It's about eighty pages of material and it isn't light. Between the weight of the packet and the Byzantine character of the postal rate system, Priority Mail is more cost and time effective than anything else. The only real downside to Priority Mail is the labeling, I think.
After I make my rate selection, the clerk pulls out a huge roll of packing tape covered with the Priority Mail logo and wraps it around the envelope a couple times. Yep, no doubt about it, that stuff is going Priority Mail. 'Cause it's important that a genre novel get into the slush pile ASAP. Don't want to keep those slush readers waiting.
I hope they don't think I'm a total dip before they even try reading it.
250 words | March 1, 2004 10:36 PM | Real true story