Stuff and other stuff!

Recently, mandywriter posted a conversation she had with her agent regarding which writing project she should pursue next. Nadia said something to the effect of, "Make a list of things you want to write about and choose #14. It will stretch your writing muscles." I read that and thought, Huh. I didn't really see myself in a position to make a list like that - much less follow the #14 suggestion; I have a half dozen ideas ready to go whenever I finish my current project.

Still, I couldn't help rolling the idea of this list around in my brain a little.

I have said for a long time that I don't ever see myself writing from a teen male POV. Not having ever been a teenage boy, I don't think I could pull it off. But today, HE came to me - the protaganist for what could be a new manuscript! I quickly jotted some notes for who he is and what his story will be, but I'm being very careful not to let him take over. I really, really need to finish CMT before I start something new. I don't want to have a pile of first drafts and nothing to show for it!

Still, I'm excited. If I ever get the time, I really think I can do this! I might have to keep putting off some of the projects on my list to write this one first.

Also, I have a new critique partner who I met right here on LJ! We're going to give it a try and see if we can work together. I am very pleased! :-)

Advice, if you please.

It was nearly a month ago that I made this entry in which I discussed my fear that nothing is going to happen with my first-choice agent. I still haven't heard anything from her. Nothing. Some might say that I should give up on her. I'm considering it. But I know that she's a great agent. I've met her in person and really liked her. And I've had contact with some of her clients and they all have nothing but good things to say about her.

So before I write her off and forget about her forever (or until I have a new manuscript to query), I just want to make sure that she really doesn't want to pursue this project.

She had indicated previously that it would only take eight to twelve weeks before I received a response. My USPS Delivery Confirmation indicated that she got the manuscript five full months ago. I believe that it did arrive. But maybe she has since misplaced it? And maybe she has so many things on her plate that she has no idea that she's misplaced mine? I don't know.

I was thinking of either emailing or mailing her one more time - just to make sure. I mean, it seems clear to me that she isn't interested and that she is just too busy to tell me so. It just seems out of character that she wouldn't just plop that rejection letter into the mail if she really wasn't interested. Why drag it on longer than necessary?

I'd hate for the truth to be that she lost my manuscript somewhere along the way before reading it and that my lack of confidence to follow up made me lose this chance. I'd hate for our lack of effective communication to be the thing that made what could have been a good working relationship fail absolutely before it even started!

But I don't want to seem pushy and impatient! (Even though I am certainly getting impatient!)

What should I do? What would you do?

In case you're curious, here's what I wrote in my email status request that went unanswered:

Dear Ms. [Agent],

Just a quick note to see if you'd had a chance to look at my manuscript FADED AS MY JEANS. It was submitted to you via U.S. mail the last week of January. (If this helps for a quick reference: I refer to it as the story of fifteen year-old Carah Greene who loves the music of Janis Joplin, fears high school letter jackets, and hopes that her father will come back into her life.)

Have a great Tuesday!

Best,

Mindi Scott

Whoops!

I received a request for me to send my full via email this morning! I've had problems sending large attachments from my main account in the past (all indicators will say that the email was sent, but then the recipient never sees it and I never get a notification back saying it didn't go), so I used a different account with another host this time.

Unfortunately, I am not used to the other set up and, in my haste, I forgot to turn spell-check on. I noticed, AFTER sending the thing, that there were two typos! Oh, dear.

I'm not going to dwell. I really hate that it happened, but the email I received from the agent had a typo as well. So, maybe she won't hold it against me!

Waiting, waiting

December 1, 2005 - I mail a query to my first-choice agent. January 23, 2006 - I receive a request for my full manuscript. (The letter indicates that it will take eight to twelve weeks before I receive a response after the full is received.)

January 24 2006 - I mail my full manuscript.

January 26, 2006 - According to USPS, it arrives at the agent's office.

Waiting, waiting, waiting.

May 16, 2006 - Sixteen weeks have passed since my full was received. I send a quick, friendly email looking for status.

May 30, 2006 - Eighteen weeks have passed since my full was received. Still no response of any sort. (Not from my email or my submission.)

It's been a full six months now since this process started. In the meantime I've queried 40 other agents and received some positive feedback and some negative feedback. (No offers of representation yet though.)

I'm really starting to doubt this is going to happen. With this particular agent, I mean.

Can you say, "Ouch"?

My full manuscript has been with one agent for one month and with another agent for four full months now. I emailed last Tuesday with a quick, friendly note looking for status on the four month one, but have not yet received a response. I mailed out a batch of twelve queries on Thursday. On Monday morning, I received an email request for a partial and synopsis. I emailed them Monday night. Tuesday morning, I woke up to a request in my inbox for a two week exclusive for the full! Ooooh, exciting!

But, of course, my full is out with other agents, and therefore would not be exclusive.

I've done my homework on these things. I know that some agents ONLY want exclusives and that others NEVER, EVER ask for them. I've been careful not to query agents whose guidelines state that they want exclusives. So, it was a little bit of a surprised when she asked for one.

Since she was so quick, I was willing to do it. Two weeks is nothing. I could stand to wait two weeks for her answer.

I thought it was in my best interests to be honest, so I sent her this email:

Dear Ms. [Agent]:

I really appreciate your quick responses! I would be pleased to send you my manuscript with two weeks of exclusivity.

As of today, however, I am still awaiting contact from agents who have had my full manuscript for quite some time. I can't offer you a truly exclusive look before I get responses from them.

If you'd like, I can send you the manuscript today with the offer to hold off on sending it to anyone else until your time frame for exclusivity has passed. If that is not agreeable to you, I can wait until I've received responses from the other agents and then send it to you at that point.

Please let me know how you would like me to proceed. I will be happy to accommodate you.

Best regards, Mindi [last name]

Her response:

Dear Ms. [last name],

We can't invest the time in a project that's out with other agencies. So I must pass.

Best of luck with your writing career.

Sincerely, [Agent]

I'm shocked! I wasn't expecting a complete brush off. I was anticipating as a best case scenario that she'd say, "Oh, go ahead and send it to me today anyway!"

Worst case scenario she'd say, "I don't want to wait around, but feel free to contact me again later and I'll let you know if I'm still interested."

Ugh. I'm trying to shake off this sick feeling. I think I did the right thing. I just hate that it blew up in my face like this. Or maybe it didn't. Because I am now convinced that she's evil, so I'm glad to not be working with her.