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I sent my first query to a literary agent in 2008. I was an idiot. I had no idea what I was doing. The book (my book!) wasn’t even finished. I hadn’t revised it one bit. But I was going to land an agent and a book deal, I was sure of that.
When no agent or book deal came, I moped with disappointment. I was a teacher and a writer. I read and taught classics and Newbery winners. The best of the best. Well, as it turns out, teaching an award-winning book doesn’t exactly give you the ability to write one. Not even close.
Flash forward to today. Five years later. 2013.
I have always written, whether poems or short stories, ever since I can remember. It was the only thing in school I was decent at. (And yes, I will end a sentence with a preposition; rules are made to be broken!). I’ve been writing middle grade novels for almost ten years now. In my best estimation, I’ve received over 300 rejection letters and emails, including No Responses. And if you’re a writer and you send queries, you know about those No Responses.
Over the last decade, while being rejected over and over again, I’ve done more than write. I’ve learned, listened, participated, read hundreds of books, and remained professional through the peaks and valleys of living as a writer. What I’m trying to say is, while I was rejected for years I grew as a writer and as a person. And this growth is now paying off.
Today, I signed a contract to work with literary agent John Rudolph of Dystel & Goderich. This is only one accomplishment (albeit a great one!) in what I hope to be the longest race in history.
My marathon. As a writer.
(I wrote this post before the tragedy today in Boston. Love and prayers to those families.)
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