As I have written before, I am not a patient person. It takes a lot of practice, a lot of trying and failing and trying again, a lot of pep talks and prayer to remind myself to slow down, to not be in such a rush, to be patient with myself and others, and let the future unfold on its own timetable. I need to constantly fight the urge to compare myself to others and to a certain internal standard of perfection. I must continually remind myself that progress – though infinitesimally small and painstakingly slow – is progress nonetheless.
I first started this walk down “the writer’s path” almost two years ago when I began writing my first manuscript, a book that chronicled my faith journey, and I began writing publicly a year and half ago when I wrote this post. Since that time I have sent out more queries and proposals to agents and publishers than I care to admit. There were some close calls but, in the end, they were all a big fat “NO.” Rejection after rejection after rejection.
I have cried. A lot. I came close to giving up. Many times. And yet something kept me going.
Through it all my husband, Matt, endured every heartbreaking rejection, every last tear, every single complaint. And, through it all, he encouraged me to keep going, to keep trying, to keep writing.
And so I did.
I put that first book away and began thinking about other stories I wanted to share. I longed to find a way to celebrate life’s everyday miracles, to bridge the gap between the spiritual and the secular,to tell the tales of grace that live within all of us.
And so was born the beginning ideas for “Grace, Wonder, and Everyday Miracles” and I started the soul-crushing process of submitting queries and proposals all over again.
Except this time around, the process has been different. For one thing, I know more about the process. I know now just how important an author’s platform (readers, followers, etc.) are to selling a proposal and that the manuscript is usually completed after the proposal has been accepted by a publisher.
The process is also different this time around because I have a literary hand to guide me along the way. That’s right, I HAVE AN AGENT! I signed a contract with the Seymour Agency last week, but I’ve been hesitant to share the news out of fear that I will jinx it or anger the gods of the publishing world in some way. Though my agent has reminded me that the road ahead is long and that there is no guarantee that a publisher will make an offer, it feels good to have someone in my corner.
It feels good to make progress, however small and slow.
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14 Comments
Congrats on the agent!!!!! I know what a big deal that is, and I’m so happy for you!
I’m about to embark on the rejection-train, what with all the submitting I have lined up in the following weeks. I may or may not ask you to commiserate on Twitter…
Thanks so much, Natalie! Good luck with your submissions. I can definitely commiserate with you on the process.
ahhhhh!!!! that’s so exciting! sometime we’ll have to chat about this process for you… I so desperately want to get on this path too, just have troubles finding out where to even begin. Congrats!!
Thank you so much, Tara! Let’s definitely chat. Maybe we can get coffee next time I’m up in Wisconsin? In fact, I’ll be up there in a few weeks…
Congratulations! This is such amazing and huge news. This post is a huge inspiration to get myself in gear and finish the book that is in my head. I am so, incredibly happy for you.
Thanks, Samantha!
This is so fantastic! Congrats! The power of an experienced person to help you navigate this adventure is immeasurable! Can’t wait to share you!
Vicky
Just passed you along to some friends;)
Vicky
Thanks, Vicky!
Go you! You got an agent! That’s great news. And I know the feeling of that particular rejection.
That said, when you publish your book, I will surely buy it. I love your writing. Keep the faith, my friend!
Thanks, Steph! That means so much.
This reminds me of a saying on one of my music professor’s door. “Slow practice = fast progress. Fast practice = slow progress. No practice = no progress.” Writing is a little different in that there are no muscles that need to stay in shape, but one’s mind still needs to be engaged on a regular basis. “Fast practice” in music means taking things at a quick tempo with disregard of the flaws whereas “slow practice” means carefully working through each detail at a slow tempo and then speeding it up gradually. I think the equivalent in writing is either submitting things before they are properly edited. Of course, there is also too slow of practice – being frozen in the need to have everything perfect, which it sounds like your main problem is.
Congratulations Christie! That is so awesome! I can’t wait to hear what your next step will be.
Thanks, Kathy!