Somewhat belated, but still pertinent... Neil Gaiman's New Year's wish, which I wish for all of you.
Here's hoping the upcoming year will bring us all luck. But as David Armstrong, author of How Not to Write a Novel, said: The harder you work, the luckier you get. I intend to be very lucky this year. In addition to several new WIPs, I've been hard at work revising an old novel, one I invested literally years in research, writing and revisions. I love these characters, and intend for them to find a publisher so others can love them too. Today, I'm pitching the story at Musetracks' Agent Shop. About a month ago, I learned about Agent Shop on Facebook and pitched my NA historical set in the late 1800s in Carlisle, Pa, but received not even a nibble from the agent. So I'm trying again today with this mainstream/women's fiction novel. Because, as author Barbara Kingsolver said, you can't take rejection too seriously: "This manuscript of yours that has just come back from another editor is a precious package. Don't consider it rejected. Consider that you've addressed it 'to the editor who can appreciate my work' and it has simply come back stamped 'Not at this address'. Just keep looking for the right address."
The right address is out there. Along that line, I'm entering the historical novel in this year's Amazon contest. And if the Agent Shop agent doesn't nibble at my pitch, I may enter the mainstream/women's fiction too. Persistence, my friends, is the critical component to writing. So for the new year, may we all have the persistence of a pit bull. Without the sharp teeth.
