You’ve Won My Acceptance!

The other day I wrote 9 Ways Pitching an Agent is Like Hitting on Someone and asked for stories of your experiences with nerves and rejection. Let me just say how terrific you all are. I love reading every comment, and your responses that day were phenomenal!

Trish Loye emerged from all those tales of woe to win my personal acceptance letter. She’s “a wannabe astronaut disguised as a stay-at-home mom who drinks too much tea and tries to stay sane by writing down the crazy stories in her head.” Nice.

We’ve all faced rejection in anxiety-packed situations. Not fun in the moment, but you’ve gotta be able to laugh at the past and move on. Here’s how Trish described the dreaded and common deer in headlights moment at a writer’s conference.

“Ahhh, the memories it brings up, or should I say nightmares. I was at a conference and had a pitch session. I had memorized my two minute hook/spiel. Unfortunately, right in the middle of my pitch to my dream agent, I looked into her eyes and went blank. Completely blank.

She smiled at me and waited. I looked at my crib notes in my hand and said, ‘Uhhhh.’ I couldn’t seem to read my notes (had I purposely written them in chinese?). Panic bloomed.

After a few tortuous seconds, I confessed, ‘I’m sorry, I can’t remember what my book is about.’ She tried to prod my memory but nothing came up. My brain had completely left the building. I was red faced and clammy and in the full throes of an anxiety attack. Finally she took pity on me and asked for pages. I thankfully could hand them over. My palms still sweat when I think of that one.”

Many of us can relate to that! Thanks for sharing. Here’s your response.