One of the most mentally excruciating experiences in a writer’s life is when he finishes his novel. He has edited and polished it to perfection and sends it off to a publisher. While waiting for a response, his mind is beset by thoughts and notions surrounding the fate of his manuscript and makes him question his competence as a writer. The anxieties could escalate into depression at times, and the writer harasses himself by imagined situations as paranoia kicks in.

Publishers take a considerable period to respond on account of the numerous manuscripts they peruse. In this interim of waiting, the writer often cooks up two possible scenarios. First, he loses all the excitement that his work will be published. If the publisher has not responded within a month or two, the writer thinks his manuscript is either rejected,  buried under a slush pile, or got lost in the mail. This paranoia triggers the writer to make unnecessary, even annoying inquiries, as his anxiety gnaws. Nowadays, traditional publishers often provide detailed guidelines for submissions, and strictly remind writers not to call. They do allow follow-ups after a specific number of weeks or months have elapsed.

Even if modern technology has made manuscript submissions more streamlined and convenient, the degree of paranoia that writers experience is still the same. How the writer controls or deals with his thoughts is entirely up to him to manage.

The second lingering thought is misplaced confidence. The writer believes that the publisher has been passing his manuscript around, heralding the coming of a new literary sensation that will take center stage. This second reason, however, is rare. Writers often lean to their critical side. The humility they have obtained from polishing their craft is what makes them conjure up the thought that they will always get rejected because they will never be good enough.

The two effective ways to combat this unnecessary pressure that writers give themselves is to forget about their manuscript. Once they have sent it off, they should not worry too much as long as they have ensured that they adhered to the guidelines the publisher has imposed. Now that the writer has got that off his chest, next is to begin writing a new novel. Immersing himself in a new project will make him so focused and preoccupied that his mind has no room for anxieties from his previous submission.

You don’t become a writer by finishing one novel or book. You become a writer because you continue to write, no matter the odds. It is a lifelong commitment to a vocation that is both rewarding and at most times difficult. The writer must come to terms with his unfounded fears, or it will pull him down and discourage him from ever continuing.

Writing a new novel is also therapeutic while the writer is waiting for a response to his recently submitted manuscript. If it gets rejected, he can always send it off to another publisher. Many famous writers didn’t get their huge breaks by submitting to only one publisher.