Every step of this process has been a huge learning experience for me, and it’s been writing bloggers like you, so generous with their time and knowledge that have made all the difference.

From my query letter to my synopsis (you have *amazing* posts on the synopsis, too) to formatting for submissions, I wouldn’t be where I am today without the kindness of writers in the know.

Thank you for the luck! It’s so exciting! And, no matter how it goes with this present batch of submissions, it’s the thrill of a lifetime to (finally!) be in the game.

Em

Rather than sighing, it was refreshing to learn what’s frowned upon in a business that doesn’t offer much in the way of fedback on rejections.

I immediately made changes to my manuscript’s first page. For example, instead of my MC dying and “waking up” in Heaven, now she dies and “arrives” there.

Instead of looking at herself in the mirror above the produce in the supermarket (which wasn’t the typical mirror excuse for description, as it was meant to show that in Heaven, her beauty mark and little scar, or, identifying characteristics were gone) still, it wasn’t worth the possible stereotyping. So I cut that paragraph completely.

And I’ve been receiving requests for partials and fulls!

Thank you for a wonderful post and an amazing blog. : )

Em

It IS hard to see submissions from the other side of the desk — but it’s imperative to try. I meet good writers all the time who are absolutely convinced that if they revise Ch. 20 just three more times, it will resolve all potential submission problems, but really, by the time an agent has invested the time reach Ch. 20, he’s looking for reasons to accept the manuscript. And, speaking as an editor, Ch. 20’s writing problems probably crop up earlier in the book as well. So it’s more strategic for a writer to concentrate revision energy on the first 20 or 50 pages of a manuscript than later on.

The sad thing is that both sides are right here — plenty of simply marvelous books take a while to warm up but are ultimately very worth reading, and agents are correct that competition for the few annual publication slots is so intense that the editors to whom they will be submitting manuscripts can afford to stop reading as soon as they hit a snag. In the long run, though, I worry that essentially requiring front-loaded stories will weaken the art form; I think it’s already sapped the expectations for entire-book plotting.