Writing Update: What to Do If Your Manuscript’s Been Rejected

The Fantastic and Mundane Chronicles of an Aspiring Writer

Hello, everyone! I’m sorry I haven’t been updating lately. These past few months I’ve been trying to regroup after sending my manuscript out to several agents. Unfortunately, so far it hasn’t been successful, and while initially, I couldn’t help but be discouraged, I’ve since found a way of coping: writing another story, of course!

This isn’t to say I’m giving up on my previous manuscript, but I have, however, found great joy in starting another story. So far, the only things I can share about this newest project are that it’s a young adult fantasy and involves a love story.

In my experience, dealing with rejection regarding a manuscript is always hard. After spending so much time and effort giving everything you have to a story only to several literary agents give a simple and curt “no thanks” (in a usual pre-formed rejection email), it’s difficult to not take it too personally.

For all those fellow writers out there who may be in the same situation, here’s a short list of things you can do to regroup after facing rejection.

1. Take a Break! 

It’s ok, even empowering, to take time to regroup. I love writing, but it was nice taking some time off to relax and focus on other things besides writing which leads me to the next tip.

2. Find inspiration

Aside from simply enjoying watching scifi/fantasy movies and reading books of the same genre, I also find I can glean a lot of inspiration from them as well. Yet this tip isn’t necessarily limited to focusing on things you think could lead to inspiration. In other words, I’ve found that inspiration often comes unconsciously and when you least expect it as well. I also think that while looking for inspiration is almost always beneficial, it isn’t a process that can be forced. Keeping a relaxed and open mind in regards to any creative activity is one of the most sure ways to find inspiration.

3. Start writing again

I would say this is can be both one of the hardest and easiest tip on this list. If you keep thinking back to how your last manuscript was rejected and all the overwhelming odds stacked against the possibility of you becoming a published author, then yes, picking up the pen to write again can be next to impossible. However, on the other hand, if instead of focusing on past disappointments and the unpredictable future, you focus on the story you want to write, on developing the characters and setting and everything about your current manuscript to the best of your ability, then this process will be rewarding no matter the outcome.

I hope these short tips help, and if anyone else has any please feel free to share! Most importantly, however, I believe if you have a story to tell, you should write it. Don’t mull too much over the details of if it will ever be published or anything else that isn’t directly related to your process of writing. In the beginning, just focus on getting your thoughts on page even if a story isn’t fully formed, and you may be pleasantly surprised by what adventure it leads to.

Good luck to all of you in your writing endeavors!

Writing Playlist Part III: Battle/Action Scenes

In this part, I will be posting some of my favorite instrumental tracks to listen to while I’m writing action or battle scenes. The majority of these following songs consists of film scores and trailer music. I hope you enjoy!

1. Phoenix Rising-Audiomachine
2. Red Warrior-Audiomachine
3. Archangel-Two Steps From Hell
4. Praetorian Guards-Jo Blankenburg
5. Guardians at the Gate-Audiomachine
6. Legions of Doom-Audiomachine
7. The Battle-Harry Gregson-Williams
8. Firebending Training-Jeremy Zuckerman
9. Black Blade-Two Steps From Hell
10. Blood and Stone-Audiomachine
11. Legacy-Fringe Element
12. Drink Up Me Hearties Yo Ho-Hans Zimmer
13. Dracarys-Ramin Djawadi
14. Taking a Stand-Henry Jackman
15. Finale and Curtain Call-Joe Kraemer
16. The Majestic Tale (Of a Madman in a Box)-Murray Gold 

My Musings: A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas

The sequel to Maas’ A Court of Thorns and Roses far surpassed everything about the first. The plot, the characters, the worldbuilding, and especially the romance were all so much better developed, and while I didn’t fall in love with the first book I definitely did with this one. In my opinion, this novel was close to flawless. I wasn’t a huge fan of Tamlin as the love interest in the first place, and this latest installment simply expounded on why. I loved Feyre’s growth throughout the story and how she finds her own strength through not only relationships with those around her but also with the acceptance of herself and who she has become. Rhysand’s character was revealed to have far more depth and maturity than what we saw in the first book, and the friendship to romance between him and Feyre was both entertaining and heartbreaking to watch at times.
To put it simply, I thought this book was amazing. I was thoroughly addicted from the first to last page, and reading this reminded me why I fell in love with fantasy in the first place—because when everything, when the words, the characters, and the story all coalesce to fit perfectly, the result can be magic.

📚✔︎ Would recommend for readers looking for a beautiful love story within a fantastic and magical world

If I could summarize the book in one word: mesmerizing 

Here’s an official summary on goodreads.

My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️+ (honestly, I wish I could give it an even higher rating)

The Kate Daniels Series by Ilona Andrews

Hello, everyone! Despite the official summary, this will be more of a book recommendation instead of a review, since I am relating my overall thoughts on an entire series and not a single volume.

Right now, I am just starting to again read Urban Fantasy books, and I have officially fallen in love with the Kate Daniels novels by Ilona Andrews! What I love about these books is the sheer fun of reading them. While there are elements of romance that gradually become more prominent over the course of the series, the action, humor, and mystery that makes these novels come alive never dwindles.

The first book opens with the introduction of Kate Daniels, a mercenary in an alternative version of Atlanta in which magic and technology are constantly at war. While on a case to track down the individual responsible for the murder of her guardian, she crosses paths with Curran, the fearsome leader of the city’s shapeshifter clan. From there begins a string of adventures filled in equal parts with suspense, magic, and a romance that is never redundant or boring.

Kate plays every bit the part of a strong heroine, while still being relatable and genuine in everything she does. While at first, Curran is presented as being a romantic interest as well as the most powerful male character in the opening book, he later is shown to be much more than that. While moody and temperamental, Curran is always an ally and friend to Kate, even when she doesn’t realize it. The constant banter between these two is pure entertainment and watching their relationship evolve throughout these books is the highlight of the entire series. The world building in these novels is fabulous as well. Though originally, I was slightly confused by the explanation of the alternate version of Atlanta in the first volume, after I continued on with the series the details became more clear and understandable.

Overall, the Kate Daniels books have turned out to be some of my favorites of all time, and I would highly recommend them to anyone looking for a quick fast-paced read and a series that will always entertain!

📚✔︎ Would recommend for fans of urban fantasy with shapeshifters and a slow burning romance.

If I could summarize the book in one word: Exhilarating 

Here’s a summary on Goodreads for the first book in the series, Magic Bites.

My Musings: The Falconer by Elizabeth May

After seeing several reviews on this novel, I was somewhat hesitant to buy it, however after reading the blurb several times, I couldn’t help but be intrigued. The concept of a warrioress tasked with hunting evil faeries and saving the world in the process isn’t an exceedingly original one, but I found this to be a surprisingly fun read. While May’s worldbuilding is somewhat lacking, the relationship between her characters were interesting enough to keep me entertained. Aileana was a compelling heroine, and I loved her strength throughout the novel. I also enjoyed reading the banter between her and Kiaran, and honestly their alliance/romance was the highlight of the book for me. Without giving any spoilers away, I will say that I found the ending to be both short and confusing and not satisfactory at all. I am as big of a fan of cliffhangers as anyone else, but this ending didn’t even feel like an ending at all, and to be honest, I most likely won’t be reading the sequel.

📚✔︎ Would recommend for any fans of faeirie folklore and steampunk looking for a fast read.

If I could summarize the book in one word: forgettable

Here’s the official summary on goodreads.

My rating: ★★★ 1/2

My Musings: Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas

I had been looking forward this fourth installment of the Throne of Glass series for months, and I am thrilled to say it did not disappoint. I loved it. I loved it. I loved it! Everything about this story—the plot, the worldbuilding, the new characters, the returning characters—all of these factors were well crafted and just plain exciting to read. While, I must admit that the last two books did not quite make me feel the same magic when reading of the first, I am ecstatic to say that the fourth novel exceeded my expectations. In fact, I would go so far as to claim this as my favorite of the entire series. Why did I love it so much? One of the main reasons is Celaena’s love interest. Now, I’m not going to give away any specifics, but I was already rooting for this couple, and the fact that their relationship developed into a romance in this installment surprised and thrilled me to no end! There were also other romances beginning to bloom within the main cast of characters, all of which I really liked and am eager to see grow. The plot in this novel was absolutely amazing. I was literally sitting on the edge of my bed throughout the duration of my read, tearing through the pages to see what would happen next. Maas has a gift for buildup and suspense, while also never failing to deliver unexpected twists and turning points.
As usual for Maas, the character development was phenomenal. By the conclusion of the story, I felt Celaena’s emotional journey had almost come full circle. I loved how in this book, the distinction between Aelin’s and Celaena’s personalities is clearly laid out before the reader. While I instantly became attached to Celaena in the first book precisely because of her courage and charmingly reckless attitude, in this volume I came to appreciate Aelin so much more, and I really was impressed by how different Maas presented the two identities to be. Indeed, it seemed as if all of the major characters had fully realized story arcs. While the conflict is far from being resolved, I found the ending to be satisfying, more like a closing of one chapter of the story and the opening of the next.

📚✔︎ Would recommend for those who love high fantasy.

If I could summarize this book in one word: Epic

Here’s an official summary of Queen of Shadows on goodreads.

My rating (out of 5 stars): ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A New Year for Writing

After taking a break for the holidays, I just started working on my book again, and I’m so excited to get back to it! I’m currently trying to push through and finish my first draft so I can begin revising and fixing things. One difficulty I always have after not writing regularly for some time is getting back into the schedule of typing a certain amount everyday. I’ve found that it takes me around a whole week of writing consecutively each day to really bring me back into the mindset my characters and the world in which they inhabit. So, here’s to beginning a hopefully great year for writing and blogging!

Any additional thoughts? My question to my fellow aspiring novelists out there is do you have any special preparation before beginning your own writing or do you prefer to simply dive in?