Patience is a Virtue

I'm not a patient person. I'm a go-getter, let's-get-things-done-now person. So waiting, quite literally, annoys me.

I think this is a trait I get from my Mom, who gets frustrated at the tiniest little things and explodes. Then she would demand that I fix whatever was annoying her. And then I would get irritated when I couldn't figure it out and swear a lot.

Wow, I really do swear a lot. Not out loud, but, wow, I need to stop doing that. :P

Anyways, on the topic of patience and my lack thereof: Querying is hell for me. Wedding planning is hell for me. WAITING is hell for me.

Let's start on the topic of querying. I LOVE <3 agents who reply promptly, as in within two weeks. Because if the answer is "no" I can just move on. But after two weeks, I start getting antsy. Three weeks, I'm REALLY antsy. And four weeks, I have to move on and think of it as a rejection just so I can stop driving myself crazy with checking my email every three minutes.

As for the wedding...GAH. I want everything done NOW so I don't have to worry about it LATER. Unfortunately, I'm dealing with a bunch of procrastinators (I have nothing against procrastinators, being one myself occasionally) and they are driving me crazy. I've got vendors calling me asking me things like, "Do you have a DJ? A band?" My answer: "Uh, I don't know." My wedding is FOUR (closing on three) months away and I don't know if I'm having a DJ or a band, because my aunt was supposed to be finding someone and I haven't heard anything back from her. GAH. Our guest list isn't finished. Our invitations are just a figment of my imagination. I still need shoes. My bridesmaids need shoes. My fiance hasn't even THOUGHT about when he's going to get his tuxedo. ("Oh, sometime in August.")

!!!

Now, people. Do it now! Before I have a mental break! (Ok, it's not that bad, but I'm irked.)

I could never be in the military. With their unofficial motto: Hurry up and wait, I'd likely be discharged for insanity.

Toys!

Ok, not really toys, but these sites have proved to be really useful to me in my journey on finding an agent:

Absolute Write (Especially the forums: people can ask question and gets answers about agents and publishers)

QueryTracker (You can create your own list of agents/publishers to query, see what other writers think about querying them (and where they are in the querying process), have a list of stats on rejections/requests, genres the agent represents and a list of clients)

Agent Query (Another "find an agent" tool, make sure you check the agent's websites against what's on the site though, sometimes there are differences. When in doubt, go with the agent's site.)

Publishers Marketplace (This has a lot of agents'/publishers' professional information, such as recent sales and lists of clients)

Through Absolute Write and QueryTracker, I've found information that helped me make a more personal decision about querying an agent. These tools have helped me reaffirm some of my choices and scratch off others as being a "poor fit".

It's always a good idea to take a peek at an agent's blog (if they have one) as well. Reading an agent's blog or interviews help me get a stronger grasp on what he or she is looking for (and if they would be interested in FURY).

Can you tell I've done a lot of research? (I hope so, because I have.)

Are there any other sites out there that you would recommend?