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| Short Coffee Break |
Ah, a new year.
Smells like opportunity.
Agents are refreshed, ready to devour query letters and publishers are awaiting the next big thing. What you have to be saying at this point is, "Why not me!" Surely during the holidays you didn't just sit around feeding your face. Surely you spent some valuable time writing, plotting, touching up your manuscript. Is that query letter the best it can be? Have you done your homework on potential agents in order to make your query stand out among the wave of others?
It's not easy work, but if you're serious about being a writer, you already know that. I can't think of anything I've done in my life that has been more mentally and physically draining. From plot to finish, wait, did I say 'finish'? Make that from plot to rewrite, rewrite, rewrite, rewrite and then finish, writing will test your resolve. But like a good workout, you'll feel better for having completed it.
If you haven't already, you should establish a link and follow some agents you like. Their musings are often insightful, sometimes humorous and can serve as a guide for polishing up your act. Some agents even give you an indication of what's trending in the business and novels they're excited about. I still find myself visiting Janet Reid's blog from time-to-time because she has this obsessive contest where you have to write a story using 100 words or less, including five words she provides. It's a fun exercise and you'll be surprised at much it streamlines your writing.
My book is getting ready to be pitched to publishers (fingers crossed) and while that agonizing period is underway, I'm working on book No. 2. Might as well drive myself crazy even further. I'm beginning to understand Hemingway more and more.
Oh, and there's a life I still have to pay attention to -- wife, two kids, two dogs, a job that pays me, or more correctly, pays the bills and IRS.
Ah, writing, what a great relaxer.
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