No agent, but ...

I've edited 34 chapters. I have only 12 left, and revision #36 will be finished. I'm feeling good. Why? Because my last round of queries led to a great reply from a super agent. His assistant said they liked the story and the characters, but the dialogue seemed contrived in places, so they passed. I wrote back. Told them that, since I sent the full, I discovered what beta readers were and that I was getting great feedback, that I read two more books on writing, and that I planned a revision. I asked if they would care to look at it when I was finished. I P.S.'d them, saying that the characters promised that there would be no more contrived dialogue. AND, they said they'd love to read the revision.

More good news. At 93k words, my middle-grade novel was obese. With the help of my beta readers, I've trimmed 16k words of fat ... and I still have 12 chapters to go.

Just had to share this feeling while it lasts. It's been a 5 year journey of love, hate, writing, and learning. Now, I'll fish the june bug out of my coffee and get back to editing.

Tim

Karen Duvall said:

Isn't that just the most awesome feeling, MoonWriter? Accomplishment of a goal.

Click to expand...

You bet. I didn't mention it, but right before posting, I finished responding to suggestions made by my beta reader. It involved reworking two chapters, cutting one, and moving a few of the ideas from the cut one to other chapters. I'm now have ten chapters to go. Once everyone goes to bed, I'll make some more progress.

Thanks for your response, Karen. Your constant encouragement of writers always gives me a lift.

Mumut - you were right on. I dreaded a major rewrite of two chapters, but the worse part was cutting one. Months of work gone. But, as my beta pointed out, it did nothing to advance the story. So, yeah, once I did it, I felt relief.

J.J. - I fired that response out of desperation. I really wanted that agent. Guess my passion came through in the email.

Susie - thanks. Almost as good as chocolate.

Pike - feels more like a Monday holiday. I imagine when the agent says yes, it will feel like Christmas.

Thanks to you all for responding. That was a spur of the moment thing, and I'm a little embarrassed for posting it. Anyway, my wife just showed me my daughter's grades. She's in her second year at LSU. I'm no longer flying high. My plane has crashed.