MILESTONE, and me peeing my pants!

[la_belle_laide]

I realize this is posted on the 9th, but it really went down on the 8th.

So, here's me peeing a little bit because today I grew the pair I've been saying I was growing and I dusted off my query letter. Just having put it away for a few months really forced me to look at it with new eyes. And I considered a lot of the critiques I'd gotten over the last year, I hit up a few agents' blogs and Twitters for some random tips. I snipped and cut and re-worded slightly, here and there.

And I thought, "You know, today is a good date. It's 1/8, that equals to 9, in 2011, that equals to 3."(*)

Then I just sucked it up and sent it, along with my first 10 pages, to my top-choice agent.

A few minutes later she asked for a complete manuscript.

Okay, so yes, I realize, fully realize that she could reject the ms. That this is nowhere near actual representation, even. Like, I get that. She's gotten 3000+ queries in the last few months. She's asked for 200 partials or fulls. She's taken about six clients, I think? And sold two books. So you see chances getting slimmer as you go down the gradient, right?

BUT. This does not discourage me. I had some rejections for the old query letter, but now, this query letter works and she said that the first bunch of pages intrigued her.

Yes, I legit ran around my kitchen with my arms in the air, screaming and scaring my dogs. Because it felt so good to be told "Yes, I'll have a look."

When you've been around writing and querying and following agents for a few years, you know what a huge, huge step forward this is. That first request takes your breath away. It lets you know that you've done something right. That even if this agent passes on your ms, you still do not suck. It tells you, "Yeah, you can write, you so totally have a chance at this."

So—and I know this isn't protocol, but I needed to—I asked her if I may have a day or two to just look over the ms one more time before sending it to her. I was this close to saying, "look over the ms and quietly panic for a few days" but then I thought, No, try to be professional here.

It was the Tiny Stories book and such that really lit the fire under my ass this time (I'm totally going to make a record about this.) I just had a feeling, you know? And here's another strange thing. I was talking to Wirrow tonight (creator of the Tiny Stories) and I told him that if he hadn't recced my story, it probably wouldn't have gotten picked up at the 11th hour. Then he told me that he found it very strange, because the day I posted my story (The Uncertainty Principle) was the same day that he'd just finished taking a lecture on the Uncertainty Principle. He said he believed in synchronicity.

Well, I do, too. ^_^ And I've got a tattoo to prove it, god.

And like with the Tiny Stories, it just feels really good to be acknowledged out of thousands of entries. This rad agent that I like, she gets thousands of queries, she gets bombarded. She requests less than ten percent. But mine intrigued her. That means I did something correct, and boy, that feels awesome.

My Mom was so thrilled when I told her. I know my Dad would be, too. My Dad would be all like, "Come on, they'd be wrong not to publish your book!" Because my Dad thought everything I did was brilliant. :D

Well, so that is my exciting news for today.

Now I've just got to really look at that ms with a sparkly new critical eye and then, BOOM, I am sending that sucker off. I mean, the ms has been critiqued, stripped bare, washed, scrubbed, re-clothed, and fitted neat and tidy. I just really need a day or so to get my head together, look at it again, make sure I've not been drooling and banging my elbows on the keyboard while everyone cheered me on, and get out of that crazy place in my head. Because I'm halfway between, "Well, I am so excited about my story, an agent will be, too!" and "Oh my god, I'm such a hack, who am I kidding?" Sometimes the middle-ground is no good place to be, you know? I have to get all zen about it.

Ugghhh I don't know. I don't want to get my hopes up, I don't want to screw up over something stupid. I'm just going to be chill, ACT CASUAL, and be like, "Yeah, yeah, I got this far. Just a few more hurdles."

Either way, you never know!




*It's 1/8, that equals to 9, in 2011, that equals to 3."* This is why I'm a writer, folks. Honestly.

Comments

[spatterdash.livejournal.com]

Congratulations! That's awesome!

I think you should just send it off. Once you start fiddling again, you'll get sucked back in, and if you were confident enough to query, you are confident enough to send it. But, either way, that's awesome!

[shonagonchan.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I actually just took all of today, looked it over, made a minor cosmetic change here and there, and off it went a few minutes ago.

It felt good to hit the "send" button, tbh.

And by the way? Thanks for all of your support and suggestions, over the many years. :D

[spatterdash.livejournal.com]

I have everything crossed i can cross for you!

[dee1072.livejournal.com]

^ That's what I thought, too. Just send it. I understand the wanting to look it over also, but the longer you wait...you know the rest. As Joe would say "Let's DOOO ITTT!!
On the other hand, I may be totally wrong and you should look it over once or twice.
Either way congratulations again and Have Your Luck.

[shonagonchan.livejournal.com]

LOL, "LET'S DOOOO ITTTT." I totally heard that when I sent it off, a few minutes ago.

Thanks Ma!

[celestialgldfsh.livejournal.com]

YAY! Did you run around and scream, too? 'Cause that's what I'd probably do. Getting a request for a full is HUGE, whatever comes of it. It's a vote of confidence.

I'm getting ready to send Normal out there--I have my query and synopsis open in Word right now--so reading this gave me a boost of hope.

I'd love to see the new version of your query, too.

[shonagonchan.livejournal.com]

I actually did legit run around and scream, with my hands in the air. It really is a vote of confidence. It says, at the very least, "You can write, no matter what."

I really need to thank you, hugely, for all the help you gave me on this ms. And I hope to return to "Normal" (pun more or less intended) after my state boards. I'm really sorry I lost track. Seriously, someone will pick up "Normal" because it's awesome. Someone will pick up "Qualia" too, if not this time, then down the road. One of my favorite songs says, "It's not a matter of luck, it's just a matter of time." ^_^

I will certainly post the query letter! I'll put it in a locked post. :D