Finished my query package today and just queried an agent for the first time 🙂
So it’s been a long week and a lot has happened. I finished the third edition, which, by the way, from edition 1 to edition 2, already had like 8 versions of the book. Cut down from 220K to 174K to 147K, I think, and somehow, I know it’s still too long and too bold for a debut, but I think the arcs are complete, and the whole worldbuilding and the plot are offering what a standalone book should have.
So I decided it was a fair word count and gave it a shot. I still don’t know how this decision will be received, but I am confident the book has what it needs. Let’s see how the feedback goes, and if it is still very long… I will have to move to a fourth edition, maybe even a fifth.
Still, it’s hard. But I’ve done a lot of internal work and decided that… well, I like writing. I’ve been writing fanfiction for a long time, long enough to know how to endure and keep going without any real payback. Someday, I say to myself, it’s not over until I say it’s over, and this is what everything about writing is about.
It’s been a hard week, but also a fun one. I participated in QuestPit and it was fun. I didn’t receive an agent’s response, but still, the likes and reblogs were more than I thought. The community is nice and kind, but my introvert self once again won all over the place, and I’ve erased the social apps from my phone. I only check them when I’m on my computer, and even that gives me a little anxiety.
I’ve sent out my first batch of queries, and I think my query package could do better, so I’m working on that right now. It’s only been like four days since I’m in the query trenches. I think the wait is going to feel eternal, but… well, let’s hang in there.
For now, starting book 2 still gives me that happiness I have every time I’m immersed in this world. I wish someday an agent would believe in this work and love it as I do.
Credits for the photo go to: Olga Volkovitskaia
