The beginning of the end

Well the semester has ended, one exam down, one to go and I have lost two of my five housemates already. That part sucks. I'm glad the exam is over though! And who says cramming doesn't work. It does. It really does. Well, luckily for me it did THIS time. I'm not recommending it for others who are studying, let's just make that clear!
I'm getting all back into writing mode again which is exciting, and ideas are brewing for my next book. I decided to put off The Himbo's, as I need to do a bit of work and research into writing from the male psyche. Guys just don't seem to be as complicated as girls. And they think about ...stuff. All the time. You know what I'm talking about. Don't think I could write that book convincingly just yet, so it's on the back burner.

In the meantime, I'm back to an idea I had earlier this year, which has the working title of "Taking the looong way home". The idea has changed a bit since its original inception which might be why I'm tackling it again.

Unfortunately I have that too-many-ideas syndrome. I've got a half dozen older reader chapter books I want to write as well but can't make myself pin one down and just write. Actually, no. That's a lie. I'm in writing mode and tomorrow, my friends, tomorrow I am going to finish - yes, FINISH "There's a Dinosaur Drinking my swimming pool". Don't know exactly what stopped me, but I'm gonna break through that barrier and do it! One thing at a time Sairz, one thing at a time...

I've finished polishing my YA chick lit novel, Life was cool until you got popular and have been sending agents some queries. I read a blog written by one of the agents I queried, and she had some pretty interesting, and disheartening stats at the top of each entry. It went along the lines of:

Queries read this week: 237.
Partial/Full manuscripts requested: 1.

There were always over 150 queries read in the week, and only ever one manuscript did she want to read. That doesn't mean she was going to represent them, she was just going to check it out, see if it was any good.
This is going to be a long process, but I'm perservering. This writing thing is going to happen for me. You're not a real writer until your walls are covered with rejection letters. Or so they say.

Ooh! I'm in the process of starting up a web site for Sarah Billington : Author. As well as publishing previously published short stories on the site, and of course, linking it to this blog, I plan to write a "column" if you will, called Orientating Olivia, about a chick handling her first year at Uni, away from parents and being a bit grown up person.

Okay, my presence is required elsewhere now. That's all I had to say anyway.

Ciao!

Sairz