From Idea to Novel to Agent

Above: Picture of the window in front of my desk. I’ve been looking at these curtains a lot lately as I dive back into revising my novel:)

While on the writing-a-novel and finding-an-agent journey, I read a lot of blogs. A LOT. The best blog posts were ones that were short and personal. I wanted to know how that writer attained “success.” Since I feel like I hit a milestone this week, I want to share how I got here. I’ve been thinking a lot about the fears, impatience, ups and downs that come along with wanting to be a published writer. Now that I’m another step closer, those emotions are still there, but I have a little more perspective.

Here’s a time line of my process from idea to novel to agent:

*Let me preface by saying that I started reading blogs and books about writing and literary agents four years ago. That being said, the industry is constantly changing and it’s easy to become obsessed with agent blogs, so make sure you aren’t reading them more than you’re writing. At the same time, knowledge is power and you’ll save yourself a lot of time by going straight to AgentQuery.com and reading their FAQs before writing one query. So many people have written about this process, so I’ll spare you the details. I do have to mention that On Writing by Stephen King changed my life. Moving on…

February 2009: An idea! This idea was so far from my current novel you wouldn’t even recognize it as a second cousin, but that doesn’t matter. I had an idea that made me excited enough to begin writing a new novel. I’m a talker and I like to know where I’m going (even if I don’t end up where I thought I would),  so I discussed this idea with my husband for hours and hours and hours. Every other sentence started with, “But, what if….?” This doesn’t work for everyone, but I need to talk through my ideas! That’s how they grow!

March -April 2009: I started working with a creative writer who teaches on the side. Every week I had to send her 20 double spaced pages. We talked on the phone for an hour on Saturdays for ten weeks. This experience was invaluable. Not only were her insights and encouragement phenomenal, I had to write 20 pages a week! That means, I had 200 pages to work with when I was unleashed on my own. I don’t know how much of those pages remain in my current manuscript, but I had to write them to get where I am today with my story.

May-November 2009: I kept pushing forward with my story, even when I knew the plot had taken new turns and the beginning was obsolete. If I had gone back every time a detail needed to be revised, I never would have finished. During this time, I had a few trusted readers review chapters from the book. My husband has read every single page of every version of the novel. Yes, he is a saint.

November 2009-January 2010: Revise, revise, revise. Readers, readers, readers. Many wonderful souls read my book during this time and gave me amazing feedback! Did I take it all? No. Did I take a great deal of it? Yes. Why? Because I write first for myself and then for others. I can keep that first version in a drawer for myself, but I want my readers to fall in love with the book. I want it to keep them up all night! Is that going to happen if I ignore their concerns?

February-April 2010: Query and wait. Repeat. This is not a comfortable time in the process. It’s filled with rejection (for most) and a lot of insecurity. But, it only takes one “yes” to change your life. I was lucky enough to get encouragement from some agents along the way with thoughtful comments. Even though my manuscript wasn’t for them, their insight kept my spirits up. Note: Having friends (on or off-line) during this time who understands how it feels to ride this roller coaster was crucial to my positive attitude. I have to give a shout-out to my dear friend Allie Larkin (STAY, Dutton) whose book is coming out in one month (June 2010)! She has been there for me since I wrote my first (in the drawer) novel four years ago.

May 2010: I have an agent! The time that it takes to get an agent varies for everyone. I was prepared to wait a year or more if needed. There are so many agents out there and you might end up contacting the right one early in the game or it may happen when you’ve already contacted one hundred. I am so grateful to have found someone who loves my book and is already providing amazing support and insight into how to make it ten times better!

Today: Revisions. Now that I have my agent’s notes, I’m hard at work on the revisions. It’s thrilling to re-shape the story and watch as the characters grow, the plot comes into better focus and the stakes rise higher and higher.

Future: Stay tuned. It’s gonna be good.

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Tagged as: agent, books, editing, novel, query, Stephen King, Steve, Writing