Stuck in the Middle (of the slushpile) With You!
Well, I did it… I pressed ‘SEND’!
After a busy year of writing new stories and making multiple revisions, I’ve recently sent some of my well-polished picture book texts to a few carefully-chosen agents. And now I’m waiting for something life-changing to happen. . . I’m checking my inbox a little too often– and scrutinising my spam box, daily!
But soon after pressing ‘Send’, a song title popped into my head that I now just can’t get rid of. . . It seems to fit my current state of mind perfectly.
That song is, “Stuck in the Middle With You”, by Stealers Wheel. Because that is exactly how I feel. Here I am, waiting in some vague and nebulous underworld, with hordes of other unagented and unpublished writers. We’re stuck in the middle of the slushpile, suspended somewhere between our Send buttons and that long-awaited email– the one from an agent or publisher who “gets” your work and would love to represent you!
I don’t know how many of you are stuck in the middle with me. But I imagine that we are probably so numerous and densely-packed as to be in danger of congealing into a sort of writerly ‘fatberg’, whilst awaiting our chance to be pumped through the slushpile sewer pipes that lead to our future agent or publisher’s office. A quick freshen up in the Ladies, then it’s out into the bright lights of their paper-strewn, book-scented, cake-crumbed habitat.
But as there is nothing we can do to hasten our tardy transit through the slushpile sewer system , we might as well make the most of it. Because from what I’ve heard, we’re all going to be slopping around in it for a long time. As my song of choice says,
“Trying to make some sense of it all,
But I can see it makes no sense at all”.
Those words seem to be written for us Slushpilers! So– for all my fellow clowns and jokers (to both left and right of me!) here are my top tips to help us keep momentum going at all times. Because even if you aren’t actually moving through the slushpile, it’s important to give yourself the illusion that you are.
- Do this by attending classes and courses and going to nice writerly events, where you can mingle with some of your fellow Slushpilers and perhaps swap advice on how to stay afloat until your agent/publisher rescues you.
- Make sure you always have another work in progress, as this will distract you from the manuscript whose pages you are currently waving just above the slush-line.
- Do take comfort from your critique partners and writing buddies, as most of them will have have been in the slushpile before, and might well still be stuck in the middle, too.
- Finally, when the muddle of the middle gets too much, get stuck into a large bar of misery-busting, morale-boosting, commiserative chocolate. It’s the perfect antidote for your agenting angst or publishing problems!
- And now . . . here’s a link to You Tube and “Stuck in the Middle With You” by Stealers Wheel. Could it be YOUR slushpile song, too? I’d love to know! You can find me on Twitter @FrancesTosdevin
Frances, I am not stuck in the middle but I have been stuck many times. I self-published my illustrated storybook and often refer to this process as my ultra trail running book publishing journey. I have learned a lot but it´s been exhausting at times. But I wouldn’t have done it any other way. Now I am ready to consider traditional publishing as well. Good luck and thanks for the song. I send you one in return that fits my journey 🙂 https://youtu.be/bShYtQVINBY My Way.