Wait! I’m Not Ready!

Well, I survived my first two drum corps shows.

After a disastrous run-through at practice, I said to staffer Heather, “I’m clearly not ready to do the opener.” That’s the opening number that includes the oar work above. “You need to,” she said. And that was that.

So I did all my planned songs in both shows. Did I do them right? Well, some things were good, and some things were really not!

But, honestly, if I waited until I thought I was ready to do the different pieces in shows, I’d probably never perform them. So, Heather was right, dang her.

A lot of writers just beginning to submit their work are the same way. But an editor can’t buy your work if it’s sitting in a drawer! So, set a deadline and work as hard as you can to make your cover letter or query letter or manuscript as good as it can possibly be by that date. And then send it. And that’s that. Then you move on to making your next show, your next manuscript, your next submission even better.

(Previous drum corps posts here.)

2 Responses

  1. You know, after last year, I thought you wouldn’t do this again — you experienced such highs and lows with it, I thought you had just done it as a personal dare. And yet: how much do I love the idea of a personal dare?? I’m glad you’re back.

  2. You know, after last year, I thought you wouldn’t do this again — you experienced such highs and lows with it, I thought you had just done it as a personal dare. And yet: how much do I love the idea of a personal dare?? I’m glad you’re back.

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