When I was a teen and writing torrid love stories filled with drama and angst, I would hide the manuscript under my bed so my mom (supposedly) would not find it. I kept up the tradition for years as long as I was writing longhand as I would typically write right before bedtime, scribbling furiously into the wee hours then tucking the yellow legal pads away under the dust ruffle.
I didn’t own a computer until the late 80s but still did most of my writing longhand well into the 90s, thus keeping up the tradition of under-the-bed books. The irony is that I was very much in the closet about my writing up until the 90s. I told few people. The first time I went public with my writing was in college and my creative writing professor told me I’d never be published, especially in something as silly as romance. Bite me, Dr. Wilson.
That’s a long way of telling you that when I put away a story I call it an under-the-bed book. Most of the time the story is finished but hasn’t gotten any traction during submission. I write beta heroes and those don’t go over well with traditional publishers.
I’m pulling out one of my under-the-bed books. It did really well in contests back in its day. Lots of wins and finals in its pedigree but I never could make the sale. I’m going to try again with this book. I started editing it again and I still like the story, the characters. I even like some of the writing which is hard for me to say. I’m a very harsh self-critic but there’s some good stuff in there.
As I write this entry it’s a few days before #PitMad and I’m going to participate. It’s my first time. I don’t expect anyone to go easy on me as I lose my virginity. Hopefully, I’ll make a few connections, learn a few things. Anything else will be a bonus. I’ll report back soon.