Monday, November 23, 2009

Maybe it's True...

Agent Janet Reid* posted this quote on Saturday—almost as if she was reading my mind and knew exactly what I needed to hear, right at that very moment. Spooky.

Don't let the judgment of any editor (or agent) poison the intense, intimate, and necessary relationship that you have with your own work. Keep the two things scrupulously separate. The self that writes may need to be a delicate and protected creature, but the self that submits to magazines (and agents) ought to be as tough as a rhino's butt.

Christian Wiman, editor, Poetry
"Poets & Writers" May/June 2009

The fact that Janet Reid may have mind reading capabilities doesn't do much to dispel the myth that literary agents are superhuman ninjas. Great quote, though. ;)

Also, I will be unplugging for the rest of the week. Have a fabulous Thanksgiving, everyone!

*For the record, I've never queried Janet Reid. She doesn't rep what I write.
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13 comments:

  1. Tricia J. O'BrienNovember 23, 2009 at 10:41 AM

    Thanks for that, Abby. I'm working on my rhino's butt right now. I got a rejection on a short story and had one of those everything-I-write-is-crap moments. But I got over it and am back to my nano project which I'm currently loving. So, there.
    Have a great Thanksgiving!

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  2. NatalieNovember 23, 2009 at 10:43 AM

    I saw that too and I agree. I don't know if I'm tough as a rhino's butt yet but I'm getting there :) Happy Thanksgiving!

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  3. StephanieNovember 23, 2009 at 10:51 AM

    I agree. It's amazing how tough your skin gets after 200 or so rejections. Some still sting though....form rejections don't bother me one bit. You can't be sad about a rejection from someone who didn't even read your stuff. But a rejection to a full or partial...ouch...those still burn a little. Though I do spend far less time being depressed and pity partying.

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  4. Corey SchwartzNovember 23, 2009 at 11:06 AM

    Oh, great quote. I'm going to have to share that one!

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  5. Rebecca KnightNovember 23, 2009 at 11:43 AM

    I read this post this morning and it gave me a good laugh, as well as some motivation :). Let the callouses build!

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  6. Melissa HurstNovember 23, 2009 at 11:59 AM

    That is a great quote. I'm nowhere near ready to query, but I will be sometime early next year. I'll have to remember this:)

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  7. Stephanie ThorntonNovember 23, 2009 at 12:04 PM

    I love Janet's blog and thought that quote was great. I had the great fortune to have Janet critique a rough draft a while back- her comments were invaluable!

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  8. JESSJORDANNovember 23, 2009 at 3:07 PM

    Great quote, and what a metaphor. Janet is awesomely scary. :)

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  9. Tere KirklandNovember 23, 2009 at 3:25 PM

    LOL, I'm trying to toughen myself to a rhino's butt thickness, but sometimes it's hard.

    Thanks for sharing this quote, and have a happy Turkey Day!

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  10. lisa and lauraNovember 23, 2009 at 8:17 PM

    What a beautiful quote. Oh, but it's hard to get skin that tough isn't it? We're still working on it.

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  11. AnitaNovember 23, 2009 at 8:49 PM

    Happy Thanksgiving!

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  12. Tabitha BirdNovember 23, 2009 at 9:33 PM

    What an amazing quote. Thanks for sharing. So true. Have a wonderful thanks giving.

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  13. Jane Kennedy SuttonNovember 24, 2009 at 7:59 AM

    Love the quote. I'm still working on my rhino butt, too. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

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