Sending a manuscript off to an editor or an agent is tougher than you might think. At least it is for me. All the writers I know talk about their manuscripts like they do their children and it's hard to send your child out into the world to be judged. On one hand, I want very much to have it accepted and one day grace the shelves of a bookstore where I can go admire the result of so many hours of hard work. Or listed on Amazon.com or B&N where gadget savvy folk can go to download it onto their Kindles and Nooks.  But I poured so much of my heart into this story and I want to be absolutely sure it has been polished and tweaked into the best possible book it can be before I send it out into that unforgiving world.

The characters in my book have become my friends. I've nurtured and taught them. I've spent hours, days and months with them and in many ways I know them better than I know myself. I want the rest of the world to love them as much as I do, but am I really ready to send them out there? Really? Maybe there was a better way to make my hero come to terms with his past? Was my heroine gutsy enough?  Was she too feisty? And what about that side-kick?

And even if I am totally convinced that my characters are all they should be, there are still questions. Did my dialog sparkle? Was it realistic? Maybe I should have consulted one of my grandkids on dialog for that teenager that became so important? Did I fail to research carefully enough? What did I miss? And even when I’m confident on all those issues, what about the finished product? Have I dotted every i and crossed every t?  Is all my punctuation spot on?

Then there is the synopsis. Another very important piece, but one that’s totally not fun to write. And Finally, the cover letter or query. That first impression that must capture the interest of the editor in just a sentence or two. But eventually there comes a moment when you just have to take the plunge. You have to zip up their jackets, kiss them on the forehead and send them out to catch the bus.

And while they are off conquering new worlds, it’s time to go back to the beginning and start again. Create some new characters. Fall in love with them and then mess up their lives so there will be a story to tell. The life of a writer.....