Be careful what you wish for. Sometimes life smiles upon you and smacks you upside the head with the full meaning of the phrase. Many people frequently wish for more money, a big family, a better job, etc. They don't think of the possible downsides.
More money: higher taxes, people asking for loans, various other things I'm sure.
Big family: health scares, trips to the hospital, conflicting personalities, and a lot more.
Better Job: I fell into this trap. I wanted a better paying job not too long back and I got it. The problem is I work nights now, not much time left for writing. I sleep during the day, not enough sunlight. I constantly feel run down and sickly. I make more money yes, but I'm miserable doing it. So I'm back to looking for a better job.
How does this relate to writing?
Well this comes with a big piece of advice. Before embarking on chasing that writing dream, think about it. Make sure it's what you want. The rejection game is hard. Each rejection hurts. Slowly the hurt fades but the wound is opened again every time you receive one. Form rejections suck, sometimes personal notes hurt even more. Get ready to hear the phrase "You're a good writer but I didn't fall in love with this." more times than you can count.
I think agents feel that softens the blow and sometimes it does but mostly it just hurts. If I'm a good writer, they why didn't you fall in love with it? What do you think needs changed? Why won't you work with me?
That's the big thing to remember. The agents are rejecting your work, not you personally. It's a hard separation to remember but it's the truth. They aren't rejecting you because they don't like you as a person, but for one reason or another they don't like your work enough to put their name on the line trying to sell it.
I'm sure after you get accepted life gets better and harder in some ways. I'll let you know once I get to that point. Right now I'm still in the rejection game. I have the talent, I have the right ideas, I just haven't found the agent that agrees with me. Maybe this is the hardest hurdle to jump, I don't know yet. I do know that you need to be careful what you wish for, sometimes you'll get it. Sometimes you'll end up with nothing but faded dreams.
