Ask Beth & Lisa: Surviving the Query Trenches

In this episode of Writers with Wrinkles, co-hosts Beth McMullen and Lisa Schmid introduce a new segment called "Ask Beth & Lisa." They jump right into the challenges of surviving the query trenches, offering practical advice on managing the emotional rollercoaster that comes with seeking literary representation.Key Discussion PointsCoping Strategies for Querying: Beth and Lisa share their contrasting approaches to dealing with the long waiting periods in the query process. Beth suggests immediately starting a new project to stay productive, while Lisa advocates for taking a break to decompress.Understanding Personal Writing Processes: Both hosts emphasize the importance of recognizing and embracing individual writing processes, whether it’s jumping into a new project or taking time off.Realistic Expectations: They discuss the current slow pace of the publishing industry, encouraging listeners to set realistic expectations about the timeline for responses from agents.Admin Work During Downtime: The episode suggests focusing on administrative tasks like building your platform, researching agents, and catching up on podcast episodes during the waiting period.New Segment Introduction: The episode introduces the “Ask Beth and Lisa” segment, which will be featured monthly to answer listener questions anonymously.ConclusionBeth and Lisa provide a mix of humor and practical advice for writers navigating the challenging and often slow query process. Listeners are encouraged to use downtime productively and to participate in the new "Ask Beth and Lisa" segment by submitting their own questions.Mentioned LinksWriters with Wrinkles website: writerswithwrinkles.netBeth McMullen’s Substack newsletter: bethmcmullenbooks.substack.comSend us Fan Mail Support the showVisit the WebsiteFind Full Episodes on YouTube!Writers with Wrinkles Link Tree for socials and more!