In all honesty, there are more than three things that could make this list, but because it’s the end of the month and Memorial Day to boot (and you’ve got fun pre-summer things to do!), I’ll stick to three.
1. Just because J.K. Rowling was able to get her 79,000-word first middle-grade manuscript published, doesn’t mean we mere mortals can.
These days, a sure-fire way to get that soul-crushing rejection letter from any of your top, middle grade literary agents is to send them a manuscript that has more than 50,000 words, or even more than 48,000 or 45,000.
2. You are not a snowflake.
You and your manuscript are not special.
Check the rules of your chosen literary agents.
Follow those rules.
For example, if your top lit agents don’t take fantasy, but you have the BEST fantasy book in the history of ever, don’t send it.
Don’t try to get away with things.
3. You are also not Ernest Hemingway.
Your first-draft manuscript is not ready for publication…or even for your writers’ group.
That draft is for you and you alone.
Your writers’ group deserves at least one more read through by you.
Agents and publishers deserve three or four or five or six….
Go through your manuscript with an effective proofreading/editing checklist by your side before you press send.
And here are a bonus three other things you need to hear.
1. You are the best person to write your story.
Keep going until you write “the end.” (Then reread it with that checklist.)
You will surprise yourself with some of your beautiful lines and themes and characters.
2. Sure, every subject has been written about.
But not by you.
Throw your hat in the ring and write your story.
3. The murky middle tries to drown every single writer.
Get through it.
Build a rickety raft.
Just get to the other side.
The minute you write “the end” you can go back and build a better raft.
Sometimes we writers don’t know what we’re trying to say until after we’ve said everything else.
Have a great, summery week.
~ Gail
(Tick tock)
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