What an Agent Said, When I Took a Chance
I completed a draft of Lonely Dove.
It is the story of a Colombian-born Indian woman
who gets a vision of her soulmate days after her 41st birthday. She doesn’t know who it is yet believes it is the key to her happiness. As she gets more visions, she learns that she will not learn who her soulmate is until she heals from her past relationships.
It is the fourth version of the book, but the best one I have written so far. I am still taking it through another round of revisions with the Writing Gym. I am working on writing the best version I can. The book is about Anji who is on a quest to find her soulmate.
My next step, after finishing the manuscript, is to find an agent to present my book to publishing houses. I saw that Writer’s Digest was offering a workshop where agents reviewed our pitch, including a query letter, synopsis, and the first 10 pages of the book.
A gut feeling told me to take a chance. My head told me I wasn’t ready, and my heart won, telling me to do it anyway.
The agent who reviewed my material said that my synopsis needed work. It was too soulmate heavy. Yet, when she read the first couple chapters of the book, she said:
“Very nice sample. As you can see from a lack of edits, this really works. The writing has a beautiful literary touch. Your word choice and descriptions flow smoothly, and by the end of this, I felt my skepticism over the idea of a book about soulmate love disappear. Anji is a real, fleshed out character. She has flaws that make her believable and sympathetic. I want her to succeed in her quest!
I can’t add anything else to this. The sample is so polished I’d be reduced to nitpicking if I attempted to offer any more feedback. I do think you’ll find an agent whose list has literary or women’s fiction on it. This could also fall into what’s called the “book club reads” fiction area. This is the type of book Reese Witherspoon’s book club would pick one month. Good luck with your submissions. I think you’re ready!”
On her general comments, she said:
“Gorgeous writing. I struggled to find useful feedback because this is polished to within an inch of its life. Your writing style is beautiful. I don't think you'll have any trouble finding representation.”
It brought tears to my eyes.
In case it isn’t obvious, I am burdened by perfectionism. But, I am constantly reminded there is no such thing as perfection. It’s a figment of my imagination. It is best to jump, even when I don’t feel ready, because if I truly trust in my calling, a safety net will appear.