I recently experienced a case of the Nervous Nellies. It happened at a writer’s conference where I’d signed up to pitch my novel to three agents. Typically, I shine in one-on-one situations. However, I was so tense, I asked each agent if I could read my pitch and each kindly let me. (You’re supposed to have it memorized.)
By the second agent, I was able to tune into my body’s reactions and discovered that I was swaying and sitting on my hands. Not quite the professional image I wanted to present. When the workshop ended, I tried to figure out the cause of my nervousness.
My best analogy involves babies. Imagine being pregnant for over five years and you finally birth the baby. You might be very proud but doubts creep in. Why did it take so long? What if no one likes it? If someone tells you your book isn’t what they are looking for it feels like someone’s saying your baby is ugly.
So how did Nellie become associated with nervous people? From what I found out, Old Nell was a nickname given to broken-down horses or nags. Then, Nervous Nellie caught on to describe high-strung horses. Over time, the phrase started to be used to describe nervous and fearful people.
Despite being a Nervous Nellie, my novel appealed to two of the three agents. I’ll keep you posted if anything exciting happens.
