Keep Believing
DISCLAIMER: BARBARA H. STOP READING NOW. YES, THAT MEANS YOU, OR THE STORY WILL BE SPOILED. UNLESS YOU WANT IT TO BE SPOILED. AND THANKS FOR READING, BARBARA, BECAUSE REALLY, IT MEANS SO MUCH TO ME. I SHOULD ALSO SAY THAT ANYONE ELSE WHO'D LIKE TO READ THIS MANUSCRIPT (KELSEY -- IF YOU HAVE TIME, BECAUSE I APPRECIATE YOU, TOO) AND LET ME KNOW WHAT THEY THINK, THEY SHOULD STOP NOW AS WELL. WAIT, THAT MIGHT BE MY WHOLE READERSHIP. AH SHOOT, GO AHEAD, IF YOU DARE.
An author once told me that "publishing is a capricious business" and when she made the statement, I thought to myself, Then why in the hell am I even trying? Will I be a success? And by success, I simply mean will I ever get published, traditionally, so that I can see my book on a store shelf? Who knows -- the business changes with the tides, and one agent's idea of what they are looking for is different from the agent in the next cubicle.
Yet, I keep trying. Three novels finished (two of which are polished), three works-in-progress, and what keeps me from throwing in the towel? I don't know. FRN says I haven't yet stopped because writing is what "I was born to do," and maybe she's correct. I sure seem to have a lot to say.
But forging a way through the writing world is so arduous and rarely life-affirming. Doors are constantly slammed in your face, until the day that they aren't. And we can only hope that they aren't. Aside from writing a good story and a great query letter, there isn't much we can do about getting that book published.
Speaking of good stories, I have one. (Actually, I think that the two polished novels I have AND the works-in-progress are good stories. Of course I do -- I'm biased. It remains to be seen if the story will stay in the category of good in my hands. There have been several stories I've read where I said to myself, If only Author X had thought of this, then it would have been fantastic.) And this past week, it looked like an agent might think so, too. But after sending a letter, then the first three chapters, and then a partial manuscript (in this case, 100 pages), the email came back with another resounding NO.
To be quite truthful, the agent's assistant was the one with whom I corresponded the entire time, and she was very kind throughout the process. Thankfully, her rejection was just as kind; I didn't even shed a tear.
The thing I need to say right here is that I thought, as I was writing the book, that the ending might be too much. But the story that came to me is the story I had to write. I also must say that I have the best sisters and husband. And the most supportive. Because not more than five minutes after I sent my email, Timmy, the guy who isn't always at his desk and rarely speaks to us during the day because he's so busy, sent a quick reply:
So I thought, maybe, that one sentence wouldn't be enough to make a change to my story, but that a slight difference, the removal of one sentence at the end of Chapter 59 and some tweaking to Chapter 60 and voila! I could have an ending that might sit better with the masses.
I'm okay with the change. I have two versions of my story, and I need to figure out exactly which one I plan on passing on to the next agent in line. I feel fine about the rejection, and know that someday, the doggone story will be in someone's hands other than my own.
We just need to keep believing.
An author once told me that "publishing is a capricious business" and when she made the statement, I thought to myself, Then why in the hell am I even trying? Will I be a success? And by success, I simply mean will I ever get published, traditionally, so that I can see my book on a store shelf? Who knows -- the business changes with the tides, and one agent's idea of what they are looking for is different from the agent in the next cubicle.
Yet, I keep trying. Three novels finished (two of which are polished), three works-in-progress, and what keeps me from throwing in the towel? I don't know. FRN says I haven't yet stopped because writing is what "I was born to do," and maybe she's correct. I sure seem to have a lot to say.
But forging a way through the writing world is so arduous and rarely life-affirming. Doors are constantly slammed in your face, until the day that they aren't. And we can only hope that they aren't. Aside from writing a good story and a great query letter, there isn't much we can do about getting that book published.
Speaking of good stories, I have one. (Actually, I think that the two polished novels I have AND the works-in-progress are good stories. Of course I do -- I'm biased. It remains to be seen if the story will stay in the category of good in my hands. There have been several stories I've read where I said to myself, If only Author X had thought of this, then it would have been fantastic.) And this past week, it looked like an agent might think so, too. But after sending a letter, then the first three chapters, and then a partial manuscript (in this case, 100 pages), the email came back with another resounding NO.
To be quite truthful, the agent's assistant was the one with whom I corresponded the entire time, and she was very kind throughout the process. Thankfully, her rejection was just as kind; I didn't even shed a tear.
Dear Ms. C:
Thank you for the opportunity to read your work. Unfortunately, AWF is not right for our list at this time. If you'd like some feedback, here is my main concern. I'm afraid it might be a little too said that both men die at the end. This book is already dealing with some heavy issues so ending with two tragedies was a concern for me. I hope that helps.
I would invite you to keep us in mind whenever you have another manuscript available, and best of luck to you in the future.
Warm Regards,
LWAt this point, you're probably wondering where I'm going with this post. (Actually, so am I.) When I read the email, I felt dejected (despite the lack of tears) and thought seriously about deleting my entire file folder of writing. (Just kidding, I'm not stupid.) I said to myself Well, that's it. I guess I better tell the few people I informed about the agent that it's a no. Which is exactly what I said in the subject of my email to my sisters and husband.
Editorial Assistant
The thing I need to say right here is that I thought, as I was writing the book, that the ending might be too much. But the story that came to me is the story I had to write. I also must say that I have the best sisters and husband. And the most supportive. Because not more than five minutes after I sent my email, Timmy, the guy who isn't always at his desk and rarely speaks to us during the day because he's so busy, sent a quick reply:
Dickens's original ending to Great Expectations didn't have Pip & Estella wind up with each other.One sentence, that's it. One sentence that said so much more than I ever would have thought. One sentence that told me he'd still be there, supporting me in my quest, and that if Dickens could stand to make a change, maybe I could, too. And even if I didn't make a change, it had no relevance to whether or not I am a good writer. One sentence.
So I thought, maybe, that one sentence wouldn't be enough to make a change to my story, but that a slight difference, the removal of one sentence at the end of Chapter 59 and some tweaking to Chapter 60 and voila! I could have an ending that might sit better with the masses.
I'm okay with the change. I have two versions of my story, and I need to figure out exactly which one I plan on passing on to the next agent in line. I feel fine about the rejection, and know that someday, the doggone story will be in someone's hands other than my own.
We just need to keep believing.
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