I’m having lunch with Agent A today, so I’m off to Madison Avenue to meet up with her. Since it’ll be the third (I think?) time I’ve gone to Trident, I will not get lost. 🙂 I never really got lost before, exactly, I just got slightly confused. But I have my explicit Google-mapped instructions from last time and think I’ve got it.
I should come back and be able to make The Announcement. 🙂
I’m feeling nostalgic today and have been thinking about what had been going on in my life exactly a year ago. I was just about to turn twenty (on Jan. 29), was a senior in college at FSU and had Agent A reading my manuscript. I was a wreck with questions. Will she like it? Will she like me? What happens when we talk on the phone? What if I babble like the dork I am and she hangs up on me? OMG, I’m really talking to an agent!
When we did our call, I had a stack of notes in front of me with my resume (in case I forgot where I went to school, LOL), my writing credits (’cause you know how important those are) and a brand new notebook so I could scribble down every word she said in case that became important later. Okay, I guess I was taking notes. 🙂
The actual talk was fantastic and I knew that was it. How amazing to find someone else besides you who’s interested in your book.
Anyone else remember your first agent call? If you haven’t had one, what do you hope yours will be like?
**Forgot to mention that I blogged about the importance of adopting a shelter pet over at TFC yesterday. Check it out.**
Over the past few weeks, I’ve been writing lots of new things, editing and thinking about how my writing has changed since I signed with Agent A almost one year ago. (Seriously! Wow!) We’ve all got our writing strengths and weaknesses. Mine? Okay. My strongest writing comes with my plots. When others read my MSS, their first comment is usually, “Wow, I didn’t get bored for a second. You kept things moving.” Then the next comment is, “But I didn’t feel inside the character’s head enough.” So, strong at plotting and weak with internal emotion. Fixable, right? Sure, and once someone points out your weaknesses, it should only make you more aware of them so they can be addressed. When I first started writing book-length fiction in November 2006, I had no idea how dialogue tags worked. They were a MESS. Now, it’s second nature. Don’t even notice my tags. Practice definitely pays off.
So, what are the strongest and weakest parts of your writing? Have you mastered something you once struggled with?
P.S. Isn’t the class of 2k8 widget (see right and scroll) adorable? It’ll show a new book every time you refresh the page! Clever.
So, lots of authors have been sharing their stories about their road to publication. I’ve done that before, (I think), so I thought blogging about where I was when I got “the call” would be fun.
Getting “the call” from one’s agent that there has been an offer on a manuscript is one of those moments I’ll never forgot. I remember exactly where I was, where my family was and my jaw dropping.
So, it’s May 2007 and my book has been on submission for a few days. I spend all day at my desk writing and check my phone at least every hour to be sure it is on (it is) and that Agent A hadn’t called (she hasn’t). Tired from typing on a new manuscript, I leave the table and head to wash my face. My dad is working in his office in our house and my mom and brother are at the dentist. It is just about 6pm. So, I get into the bathroom and have a face full of soap when I hear a sound. Not just any sound, mind you, but the ring. This fabulous NYC-ish ringtone that I have set for Agent A. Oh. My.
I tear out of the bathroom, covered in Loreal face wash and without my glasses. Therefore, I’m blind. I grab my phone with soapy hands that are shaking like crazy and put it to my ear. Then, I hear the sweetest words known to an author. “We have an offer!” Dripping wet, unable to see and trying not to pass out and/or vomit, I grab a pen and start to scribble every word Agent A says so I never forget that moment. I’m doing all of this on the back of a recliner because I was in too much shock to make it to the kitchen table.
My dad emerges from his office, sees me soapy and scribbling, and I try to motion to him to stay there while barely saying two words on the phone. When I hang up with Agent A, I turn to my dad and tell him what the offer was. He staggers backwards and then I start shrieking that I have to call my mom. She’s in the waiting room while my brother is getting his teeth cleaned.
She says “wait a minute” and leaves the waiting room. Once she’s outside, I tell her and she cries. Then, apparently she hangs up and goes to tell everyone in the dentist’s office. More crying ensues.
And those were the minutes surrounding “the call.” If you’ve had one, you know the feeling. If you haven’t, when you reach that moment, you’ll realize it’s the most indescribable feeling ever. And you can’t wait for it to happen again and again. 🙂
Onto other things: The Golden Compass did $26.1 million at the box office which was disappointing to most. Sigh. I really thought it would do better, but it did outstanding overseas. Better than LOTR, apparently.
Later, I’ll post a 2k9 announcement.
Jessica Burkhart 