Pity-Party Post

Disclaimer: As the title implies, this is a pity-party post, so you might want to skip this if you would rather not listen to whining, complaints and lamentations. But then what is a blog for if not that? Anyway, here it goes.

Last July I sent my current WIP to an agent and received what I thought was constructive criticism and encouragement. Agent told me that my work needed polishing/revisions but that it was lovely, it had potential and it could be unique and that after I did some more, to feel free and resubmit it to her. I was really appreciative and bursting with excitement. Therefore I spent the last six months laboring over my WIP and I have to say, it is much improved. It still may not be ready, but it is far better than it was. I decided to take Agent up on her word and resubmitted it. She replied that she did not remember me and did I possibly send it to one of her co-workers? She said that she would be willing to look over three chapters and a synopsis. My feelings were a little hurt, but I reminded myself that Agent probably receives thousands of queries a year and doesn’t recall all of them. I sent her the chapters and synopsis and her response was that there is now too much “telling” for her and that nothing really happens until page six and then it is a little later until there is more action. Ah, but there is good news, she continues. There are several publishers out there that do not require an agent and she mentions a few and offers her best wishes…blah, blah, blah.

As I have said, I can accept criticism and actually embrace it. If the first six pages of my chapter one are dull, I can improve it and rearrange it. What irks me is how she just brushed me off. I mean, what she said to me in July, was that just a generic reply that she sends to all aspiring authors that she is not interested in? If she really wasn’t interested, then she didn’t have to lead me on. I’m the kind of writer (and person) that when someone throws me crumbs, I pick up each and every crumb and gobble them down as fast as possible.

So now I feel like I’m back at square one. I’ll probably do a little more revising and then maybe by February I’ll have worked up the courage to send if off to some agents. We’ll see. I guess what depresses me most about this was that I thought that this was it. That maybe I really found someone else out there that likes my work too. I just feel like I can’t catch a break. I take two steps forward and get knocked five steps back.