Today I welcome author Amanda Wen as she shares about her latest release, The Songs That Could Have Been.

When I started out on the road to publication, I received several nuggets of wisdom from more experienced writers, nuggets God brought to my mind frequently throughout my wait to get published. But the most valuable advice I received was this: While your first project is on submission, work on something else.

This serves a critical purpose: distraction. It gives your not-altogether-sane little writer mind something to focus on. Instead of stalking editors online, wondering if that amazing new manuscript they just tweeted about might be yours, checking your email hundreds of times a day, and writing (and rewriting, and ultimately scrapping) “just checking in to see if you’ve heard anything” nudge emails to your agent, your brain can lose itself in new characters. New storylines. New worlds. 

In addition to helping you stay sane—or at least a bit saner than you otherwise would—working on something else provides another manuscript for editors to consider if your first project isn’t quite what they’re looking for. Granted, this means you’ll be on submission again, but it’s far better to be able to send something new out right away than to have to start from scratch after you and your agent realize that publishers aren’t as in love with your submitted manuscript as the two of you might be.

I took this advice in 2017 when my first manuscript, a contemporary romance, went on submission. I’m grateful beyond measure that God gave me a new story idea as soon as I finished that manuscript, but I was a bit hesitant to plunge ahead since it was a new genre: split-time. I think my genre shift caught my agent by surprise, but she encouraged me to go ahead and write it and she’d try her best to place it. With her blessing, I did, and it was ready to go when we realized that first manuscript wasn’t going anywhere.

This one, too, was on submission for quite a while, but eventually grabbed the attention of an editor who fell in love with it. It survived committees and pub boards and all the other hurdles to publication, and in January 2021, it released as my debut, Roots of Wood and Stone, the first of a three-book series with Kregel Publications. (The second in the series, The Songs that Could Have Been, released in June 2022, and the third one is being written as we speak and is slated for release in fall 2023). It also solidified split-time as my true literary home.

I don’t remember who told me to work on something else while submitting (I wish I did!), but I’m paying it forward in hopes that it will bless someone else as much as it blessed me.

What’s the most impactful piece of writing advice you’ve received? Drop me a comment; I’d love to know!

Amanda Wen’s debut novel, Roots of Wood and Stone, released to both reader and critical acclaim. The book was named a 2021 Foreword INDIES Gold Award winner and was a finalist in both the Christy and Carol Awards. In addition to her writing, Amanda is an accomplished professional cellist and pianist who frequently performs with orchestras, chamber groups, and her church’s worship team, as well as serving as a choral accompanist. A lifelong denizen of the flatlands, Amanda currently lives in Kansas with her patient, loving, and hilarious husband, their three adorable Wenlets, and a snuggly Siamese cat. She loves to connect with readers through her newsletter and share book recommendations on BookBub. 

Amazon - https://www.amazon.com/Songs-That-Could-Have-Been/dp/0825447690/

Barnes and Noble - https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-songs-that-could-have-been-amanda-wen/1140488830?ean=9780825447693

Christianbook.com - https://www.christianbook.com/the-songs-that-could-have-been/amanda-wen/9780825447693/pd/5447693?event=ESRCG 

Good Reads - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59766494-the-songs-that-could-have-been