The emailing of queries continues, as does the struggle to force myself to stop checking my inbox on a too-often basis.
Wait! A new email just came in! Did somebody respond? Nope. Groupon for a bikini wax. How about now? Nope. Screenwriting newsletter that seems to come every two months. I really should just unsubscribe from that. Now? Nope again. Netflix confirming they received my disc of JUSTICE LEAGUE: DOOM.
Over and over and over.
The more this scenario plays out, the more frustrating the whole thing becomes. Why isn’t anybody responding? I sent that two whole days ago. Doesn’t anybody check their email? Oh no! What if nobody wants to read my script? All that work for nothing! I’m a failure! Doomed to gnash my teeth every time somebody sells their you-call-that-an-original-concept spec for low-to-mid six figures! Aaauuughhhhh!
*collapses on floor in fetal position*
And….scene.
It would be so easy to fall into this kind of trap, but it’s also easier than you would think to just take a deep breath and let it go. I’ve done my part. The rest is up to my query recipients. All I can do is hope they’re interested and want to read my script.
If so, great. If not, no big deal. Comes with the territory. It took me a long time to accept this.
I’m a writer, so writing is what I need to focus on right now. It’ll satisfy my need to be creative while drawing my attention away from the queries. Hunkering down and diving into the outline is good for what ails me.
And it’s a western, so how can I resist the call to immerse myself in a world I’ve created loaded up with cowpokes, shootin’ irons and yellow-bellied sidewinders?
Added bonus – in the event somebody likes my first script and asks the all-important “What else ya got?,” I’ll be this much closer to having something ‘else’ to offer.
Hold on. Another email just came in. Back in a sec.
Maximum Z 
I’m on a Western tear right now and loving it. Just watched “THE VIOLENT MEN” starring Glenn Ford. I love the Western genre. Yes, the waiting is torture and like you said, you get back to the business at hand and keep your eyes front and start on the next pitch, treatment, or screenplay. When you’re a screenwriter, it’s like having homework everyday including weekends! But that’s okay. Fingers crossed.
Thanks! I was feeling pretty low as the last batch was sent out, but seem to have bounced back nicely. Still a bit anxious, but coping. BTW – did you get my email from last week?
Yes, I did but my e-mail system for that address kept timing out. I will try to send the response again, but it’s all good. I dig your positive forward movement!