March 8, 2010 | By: Tracy

That Which Does Not Kill Us ...

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I got another rejection letter today. So, out of four queries sent out so far, I've gotten a "no go" from two of them. In the general scheme of things this is perfectly on par for what a novice writer will go through, so I'm not taking it personal. Getting a "No" still stings, but I'm bouncing back pretty quickly. Especially, since I'm convinced that it is the query letter that is failing here and not my writing. It is possible that both agents have read my first chapter and decline based on that, but from all the info I've read thus far, it is more likely the case of a so-so query letter that isn't catching their attention. So, it's up to me to write one that makes them want to see more. Easier said than done. I guess it's kinda like a striptease routine ... you have to show just enough to make them want to see more, but not so much that all the thrill is gone. It's a balancing act, I tell ya. As for the rest of the night, I'm going to relax and watch "Hoarders" a little later on tonight. I have some straightening up to do, and there is nothing like watching an episode of that show to put you in the "spring cleaning" mood. Pride & Prejudice Update : I still don't know much more about Mr. Darcy, other than Lizzy cares for him even less since he suposedly did something not so nice to Mr. Wickham. She was, however, able to wiggle her way out of having to accept a marriage proposal from that clod, Mr. Collins. Whew! Baseball Update: 28 days til Opening Day!!

7 witty remarks:

lexcade said...

if it's any consolation, i've never read pride and prejudice, though i might give pride and prejudice and zombies a shot lol.

i don't know if you follow elana johnson's blog (she's a contributer to the Query Tracker blog, which is also helpful), but she made a suggestion to try writing the query from your main character's POV to help you get into the groove, so to speak. seems like a good idea, so i dunno. thought i'd pass that along to ya.

your blog is cool. good job on the layout!

Tracy said...

Thanks, lexcade, I'll have to give that a shot. I haven't thought about seeng what my main character would think are the most important parts of the story to tell.

LOL! I figured before I could take on "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies" I better see what the original is about.

Hey, I just read on your profile that you're a big fan of Anne Rice, especially the Vampire Chronicles ... that makes you uber cool in my book!

Suzette Saxton said...

It's so nice to meet you! My buddy Elana has great info on writing killer queries on her blog:

elanajohnson.blogspot.com

Guinevere said...

Good luck with your queries! Great attitude about the rejections; I really do feel they're just part of the process, no big reflection on the writer. You have to kiss a lot of frogs/agents, etc...

lexcade said...

haha, thank you, thank you. i think anne rice made me really want to pursue writing as a career. the vampire chronicles are very near and dear to my heart. lestat is the ultimate vampire anti-hero!

you are also uber cool. great taste in books :-D

Tracy said...

Suzette - Nice to meet you too, and since you are the second person to mention Elana's blog I checked it out. You were both right, great blog with really good info. Thanks for the tip!

Guinevere - Thanks for the luck wishes! I'm not having a tough time keeping up the good attitude for the time being -- check on me again if I reach the 50 rejections mark or so and I make no promises, lol.

Lexcade - Lestat is my all-time favorite literary character. The Brat Prince will always be my favorite!

Unknown said...

Love the blog and this post was one I could totally relate to. I'm embarrassed to say how many queries I've sent out, and I have yet to get a nibble. Not even one request. My query number is way, way into the double digits too.

Just hang in there. Most people seem to have much better luck than I do.

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