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This is my most favourite post on the whole trying to get published thing ever. EV-ER!<br /><br />Absolutely brilliant. And yup...you are funny!<br />If I say publication is just round the corner, please don&#39;t punch me in the face. But I really believe it.

PS Have just posted this on the Writewords website..

... and about your grammar &#39;most favourite&#39; ... surely it&#39;s &#39;most favouritest&#39;?!

Ahem! Good morning, early bird!<br />And yes isn&#39;t it brilliant? Go, Maureen!

Love it. Look forward to laughing with one of your books. :)

Briliant, brilliant, as only your posts can be, Maureen! And I am much heartened, given the vast size of my own slushpile and gazillion years spent skiing down it! There may yet be hope for me! *rushes off to scribble furiously*

Great post, Maureen. Made me feel a bit better about my pile. And in answer to your question: 2 book shelves and 3 drawers full of multiple versions of 1 adult, 2 YA, 1 mid range, 1 chapter and a heap of stories (two of which actually got published - yippee I&#39;m a writer ;-) ). And that doesn&#39;t include the current WIP either!

My slushpile is HUGE. In fact if I hadn&#39;t stopped printing things - and started having bonfires - we wouldn&#39;t fit in the house.<br /><br />And you are very funny. Clearly, as if you say it enough times (and put it in yellow boxes) it must be so :O)

Leave Caroline&#39;s grammar alone, Candy Gourlay - she thinks I&#39;m funny! And she&#39;s re-posted! Thanks Caroline :) I shall refrain from punching you.

Thanks, Liane - on day you might just get to do that!

You will, Nicky, it&#39;s us determined (obsessed) folk who make it in the end. Love the idea of ski-ing down the slushpile I&#39;ve always just slid down on my bottom crying Aargh!!!

Impressive list, Jeannette and I&#39;m pleased to see you have multiple versions too. I was a bit bothered that I&#39;d written the Jawbreaker three times and then had to walk away. It&#39;s still not right. It may never be right!

Ah, you spotted my subliminal message!

So that&#39;s what you&#39;ve been doing up in the attic for the last twelve years.

Did you miss me?

Of course, where&#39;s me tea?

Excellent post! And heartening, as I&#39;m on my 9 1/2 th (can I say that?) novel, most of which have been re-written at least five times. I&#39;m really hoping this is The One, but, boy have I learned a lot along the way! Oh, and I did the Cornerstones self-editing course too. Eye-opening! Good luck with Prince Bob!

Here&#39;s my list. Like you Maureen I now realise that 7+ and MG is where i want to be. Great post and so reassuring not to be alone. But really proud of my backlist. There&#39;s some great stuff in there.<br /><br />1 x MG dystopian fantasy<br />1 x picture book<br />1x MG girls adventure<br />2 x 7+ adventure series<br />1 x ya space gothic<br />1 x MG boys humour

You should be proud, Jo. That represents a lot of blood, sweat and tears, and hopes. I like the idea of a space gothic, could you do that for MG? Has anyone else, I wonder?

Sent via ancient Imac from a field of turnips:<br />Me too! I have a big slush pile and have been on a similar journey (though I have never knowingly been funny).<br />Great post Maureen. Congratulations on finding an agent and good luck with the next stage of your journey.

Right OK - I&#39;ve a way to go yet then - <br />Picture books x 4 ( far too difficult)<br />mid-grade x 1<br />7-9 x 2<br />YA novels x2 - though one is being extensively rewritten, now, actually, so why aren&#39;t I doing it? Stop distracting me Lynas ;o)

Maureen that was wonderful! Thank you.<br />I feel heartened.<br /><br />Can quite face piling up my slush yet - it&#39;s all over the place but it includes some picture books too.<br /><br />Now here&#39;s a thought - how about some comedy glasses? They could be your trademark?

What marvellous piles you have, Maureen. Loved reading this - it sparkles!

Brilliant post, Maureen. You are definitely funny! I can relate to your struggle of what to focus on. For me, following through and completing all the ideas I have is a big struggle for me as well. Congratulations and keep on writing! Colleen :)

Thanks Amanda. Good luck with your journey too.

Sorry! Get on with it! Write! Write! Write! We need your books. Kathryn - You Have Talent!

I could borrow some from Edna Everidge! Or maybe Elton John?

Lol and guffaw! Lovely Addy, thank you :)

It&#39;s so hard isn&#39;t it, especially as the next one is always better than the one you&#39;re working on now and will be much easier to write - or so you think until you actually start to write it!

Wonderfully inspiring post Maureen and Nicky, definitely,your time will come. My slushpile holds my bed up so it has its uses. And btw Maureen....you are very funny ;-)

I&#39;ve always thought you were funny, Maureen - and not just ha-ha funny!

I may adjust the life-long friend comment. It&#39;s under review from now on. You have one year. Watch yourself grrr.

Fantastic read, Maureen! And definitely an inspiration to the rest of us to perservere! My slushpile must be nearly as long as yours--I just haven&#39;t forced myself to compile everything and see exactly how much I have written. :) Thanks for sharing!

Journey begins ...<br />Stage 1: &#39;Oh, I shall be an illustrator&#39;. <br />Action: Complete sample artwork and dummies for x4 picture books. <br />Event: 2 deals on table<br />Outcome: Table mysteriously disappears. <br /> <br />Stage 2: &#39;Oh, I shall be a picture book writer&#39;. <br />Action: completes picture books - x10 <br />Event: x3 accepted by publishers<br />Outcome: currently