Friday, May 24, 2019

It's Done and I'm Ready to Jump


For once I’m not here to apologize for not posting or to make lofty promises of turning this blog into the most exciting thing on the web. I'm here to dig in my heels and become more productive, such as taking my novel to the next step.
My manuscript went through the critique process with other writers going through each chapter, adding and deleting, and making suggestions. Along the way, I used editing software to further refine the piece. After I revised the final chapter, I ran the entire story back through this software and ended up cutting about 9000 words.
I tell you, the accomplishment of typing “the end” and then spending a few weeks fine-tuning a project is compelling me to want to do more. So what is the next step?
I typed up a query letter and emailed it to a literary agent—an agency I had my eye on for a long while. This is a huge step for me. Something I’ve never done before, and it’s a little scary. They say to expect rejection and consider it a learning experience. There are other agencies to submit to, so all is not lost. If I don’t get a reply in thirty days, I’ll go to Plan B and send a query to three more agencies I’ve researched. In the meantime, I'll rest in the knowledge God has the perfect place for my novel.
I’d love to hear about your experiences with taking a leap of faith and watching for a favorable outcome. It could be a job interview, purchasing a raffle ticket to win a coveted prize, or even waiting for test results from a doctor, hoping for good news. Was the wait agonizing or were you able to "let go and let God?"