Remember to Believe

Believing in yourself is a hard thing to do sometimes. There are so many things during the day pressing in and vying for attention that its easy to forget why we've started something in the first place. Or if we do remember, it may only be to think, "I must have been crazy that day." Luckily there are shining moments that remind us of why we have chosen to put ourselves out there.

I must admit in the past few weeks I've become a bit hardened to the responses from my "Query Letter". Its surprising how each form rejection letter is different from one another. I'm quite impressed with the many different ways one can say "Thanks, but no thanks." I suppose it must be similar to how agents feel reading "The Query Letter"; they are all different, but essentially say the same thing, "Oh, Oh, Oh, Pick me, Pick me, Pick me!"

Ah ha, but today was a shining moment. My "Query Letter" did not fail me. I received a request for a partial submission from one of the most respected agents in the YA publishing market. Needless to say, my "Query Letter" deserves a nice pat on the back, and if she comes back and wants to see the full manuscript, I just may kiss it.

To Query or Not to Query

Family and friends who know me well.... Well, let's go ahead and put acquaintances in there too.... Okay, anyone that I have talked to in the past six months knows of my anguish over "The Query Letter." For those of you new to this, "The Query Letter" is that magic piece of paper containing everything about you and your novel. It floats across the desk of an agent or publisher instantly capturing their intrigue, making them marvel at your skill with words. They stop everything to phone you to ask for an exclusive look at your fully completed manuscript. Of course this is all done in 250 words or less.

Ahhh, if only it were that easy.

But there is hope. I think I've gotten a little less obsessed with "The Query Letter", because only a couple weeks ago I would have used all capital letters to type "The Query Letter", instead of just quotation marks.

I just may emerge from Querydom intact; slightly stunned but essentially whole.

The key may be to be a moving target. Not literally of course, but mentally. To know that you've done the best you can with the tools at your disposal and to always be always looking forward, moving toward your goal. For me it is "The NEXT Query Letter."

What is it for you?