On Sunday at 2pm PST, I emailed Secret Agent Man a note regarding our previous correspondence with my full manuscript attached. I told him he could read it exclusively for two weeks as he'd requested.
On Monday at 7am PST, I received this response:
[Agent]
And so. Now I wait. In two weeks or less, I should know whether he wants to represent me.
I am loving 2008 so far.
As you may have seen before, this is my list of goals for 2008:
Goals for 2008
1. Finish THE FAKE MCCOY. Completed 2/17/08!
2. Get THE FAKE MCCOY out of here! Completed 3/2/08.
3. Enter a literary contest. Completed 2/6/08.
4. Attend a writers' conference. Registered. Will complete late-April.
5. Start writing something new. Coming soon! I hope...
6. Sing karaoke at a bar. Completed 3/1/08.
It isn't writing-related, but I have to tell you about #6 here.
I was terrified! I was nervous, shaking, and naseated for hours before we went to the bar. Even while sitting there, I was having second thoughts. But then other people starting doing their songs, and I decided I could handle it. I wish I'd given the karaoke thing a try before writing the stage fright scene in my ms. But even now I wouldn't change a thing, so it didn't matter in the long run.
According to plan, I requested "Me & Bobby McGee" by Janis Joplin.
Not according to plan, the bartender beat me to it!
Instead, I sang "Creep" by Radiohead. The DJ said he'd never had a girl choose that one, so I felt very special. (Ha! That's sort of an inside joke. If you know the song, you'll know what it all means.) My sisters said I sounded "cute" and that I did a fine job with it. And, you know, I think I believe them. I wasn't a super star, but I didn't suck either.
I'm glad I followed through on this goal. It was fun! In fact, I'm thinking I may go back and try it again in a few weeks. I still do want to sing "Me & Bobby McGee."
I know a guy in a band named Sean McCoy. I like his name so much that when I was getting an idea for a new story with a boy MC, I decided to give him Sean's name.
But then I thought it would kind of weird to give my character the same first and last name as an acquaintance. (Not to mention, they both play bass.) I was planning to keep Sean as the first name, but change the last name. "Mc[Something Else]."
But then I came up with the title "The Fake McCoy," and decided instead to change the character's first name. Sean and Seth are similar enough. Same first two letters. Same number of letters and syllables. And so my character has been Seth McCoy ever since.
Tonight I saw Sean McCoy at my husband's gig. It had been a long time. Apparently since before I started this manuscript! I told him the title of my book. He loved it. Then I told him my character's name. (I was careful not to sound like a big weirdo.) I could tell he was really flattered. (He even said so. In those words!)
He told me he'll write a song and use my name in it. I don't think he will really, but it was sweet of him to say so.
Hello to everyone who currently has a copy of my draft!
I just wanted to let you know, the proofreading should be completed later today. Then I can fix all my millions of embarrassing comma errors (and other mistakes). Gah!
Based on all the feedback I've received so far, there are mostly little nitpicks to work out, but nothing fatal. (Unless you've found something that I don't know about yet!! [/paranoid]) And so, I intend to make my changes and send the full over to Secret Agent Man on Monday, March 3rd. Eeeee!
Now, if you aren't finished reading and know you won't be by then, it's no problem. I can still use the feedback whenever its ready. I'll keep tweaking. If this agent is The One For Me it will be swell (okay, it will be amazing, really), but I'm not counting on anything. Hoping, but not expecting. But I thought I would let you all know my plans to submit to him soon in case it helps you plan.
Okay. That's all. Have a great weekend, everyone!
You may have heard this story before.
Back in October 2006, an agent who had rejected my first manuscript over the summer contacted me asking to see my new project. (Regarding the first ms: He said he "admires" my writing, but the novel wasn't quite what he needed. I took that to mean "great voice, horrific plotting.") He learned about my new project after stumbling across this here LJ! I wrote back at that time and told him I was in early stages yet. He asked to see an outline, which I wrote up for him. Upon reading it, he asked for a two-week exclusive when the whole thing is "polished and ready."
Sixteen months later, I'm thisclose to being ready to send the polished-and-ready manuscript over to him! We've had contact off and on during that time, and I know he knows I'm done because he's one of my contacts elsewhere where I made an announcement. I know he still wants to see it. (And even if he doesn't, he asked for it, so he's getting it!) It's so crazy that after all this time, I'm finally going to be able to do this!
Now, I know he might reject it immediately. I keep trying to psych myself up for it so if it happens that way, I won't be all devastated. I have a good, good feeling about this guy, but that doesn't mean he'll feel the same about my manuscript. Oh, but I hope, hope, hope he does!
(And if not, I'll move on with querying, of course.)
