I'm finding myself in uncharted waters. I have never hired an editor before, and I'm torn with what to do with this time. Initially, I said to myself that I would work on the next book in the series. However, since I expect my editor's results will likely involve some big changes to my work, I am hesitant to be deep into editing two projects. What if I get myself confused? Should I skip the re-write of book two and advance to writing the third book? If I did that, I feel like there would be an inevitable mess of three incomplete projects.

I have already worked on writing some short stories for children. These books will be available as audiobooks. The short stories are from my "Tina's Talented Zoo" collection, and they feature animals enjoying a secret hobby or passion. I will have each story read in a calm manner, set to some dreamy music. At the end of each story, I have compiled 10 fun facts about each animal and included a few lullabies. If there is enough demand, I will hire an artist to illustrate the stories and make them available as a physical release. Recording is not writing, though.

I feel like I am slacking if I am not moving forward on my primary project. Yes, having the manuscript in the hands of an editor is moving forward, but I feel like I am part of the "Schrödinger's Cat" experiment. While my manuscript is away, I have no idea what the feedback will entail. On the one hand, I will receive a glowing review will minimal work to be done. On the other hand, my editor may find my work to resemble loosely stitched fabric panels and not the beautiful quilt I believe it to be. As you see, my book is currently amazing and terrible all at once. How do writers deal with this torment of unknowing?

The other way I have been using my time is by researching agents. I will have more on that in this post. I will share a few resources and I have found and how I keep track of all of it. I have also been studying query letters. One of the editors I researched was Mary Kole. While I did not choose her to edit my work (she was too expensive for me at this time), I did purchase her book, "Successful Query Letters." In that book, she has a list, divided by genre, of actual query letters sent to publishers, and she breaks down what does and does not work and why. She also mentions which letters received representation.

Long story short— I have spent my "waiting game" period by researching query letters and agents and working on other projects. How do you spend your "free" time?

Write on!