Searching for a Literary Agent

A fairly unambiguous title, huh?

At long last, my new novel, Inventing Vazquez, is finished. This latest rewrite is what I’m calling the agent-ready draft, one that I’m confident will properly represent the work and my capabilities as a writer to prospective agents. Can I hear a “woohoo”? ^_^

It was quite a ride getting here. I started this project in early 2007, right around the time I was scrambling to get Solstice ready for its publication. Because of all the ideas I had for Inventing Vazquez, I finished the first draft before the end of that year. Last year, I completed the next two rewrites. And now this year, I’ve gotten the novel to the point where I’m confident about sending it out for representation.

I think the most challenging part of this last rewrite was not just making the story tighter and funnier, but cutting it down as well. I’m happy to report that I’ve shaved off nearly 80 single-spaced pages, which should help the story flow smoother and quicker. It’s still a very long book (about 270,000 words ^^), but hopefully it’ll be a fun read given its zany, satirical nature. And boy, has it gotten progressively zanier with each draft! In this last draft, I’ve introduced a matchmaking dog named Preci who tries to hook her owner up with suitable mates, but always does something inappropriate (e.g., poops at their feet) to drive them away.

So far, my three test readers have given the book thumbs up. My good friend Pam, who actually read an earlier draft, liked it a lot, and my girlfriend (I know, hardly the most objective test reader, but she can be brutally honest when she needs to be) loved it. So there’s hope.

So anyway, the literary agent search is now on in earnest. In fact, a couple of weeks ago, I sent out the first five queries, including one to the agent I’m crossing all my fingers accepts me ^^; Almost immediately, I got two rejection form letters (wow, that was quick), but the other three seem to still be in the “Reject Later” pile as opposed to the “REJECT NOW!!!” pile ^^;

It’s funny. I personally think searching for a literary agent is the hardest part of this entire process. Yes, even harder than writing and rewriting the actual book! Why? Because you have to present yourself nearly perfectly. You’ve got no room for error. You have to write, rewrite, rewrite, rewrite, edit, scrap, restart, rewrite, rewrite, edit, pull hair, get drunk, rewrite, cry bitterly, and rewrite your query letter, synopsis, and all that other good stuff agents demand. You have to obsessively comb every line of text for errors and grammar. You have to somehow pitch your book (all 270,000 words of it) within the space of one page. You have to differentiate yourself somehow from the other 4,194,092 writers mailing query letters that same day. And you have to do it all knowing that most agents are going to respond with an impersonal form letter telling you, “Sorry, no thanks” without giving you one clue as to why.

I think that’s the most frustrating thing about this process. For all the effort you have to put into a search, you’re seldom told why you’re being rejected. Of course, I’m not criticizing literary agents for this, because the volume of correspondence they receive makes it impractical for them to individually address every rejection letter. But it does make it hard for you to know what you’re doing wrong. Is it that they didn’t like your writing? Is it just not their cup of tea? Did your query letter suck? Or did they just not like the name of your character? For the most part, you’re in the dark about why you’re being rejected, so it’s very difficult to know what to improve for the next round of queries.

But oh well, I’m going to give it my all and try to land an agent. And I’m a lot more confident about Inventing Vazquez: I really think it’ll offer an agent and a publisher something special. Oh wow, listen to me, egomaniac that I’ve become! ^^;

So what’s next? As usual, I’m going to take some time off from Inventing Vazquez before I start tinkering with it again (it’s true what they say, every work is always a work in progress). I’ll probably start up again on its sequel, Electing Choi, next week (I’m four chapters in as of now). However, because of all the ideas that are starting to build up for another story, I might try writing two books at once. My other project, tentatively titled Suicide Girls, might be my ‘nighttime’ project (i.e., the kind of project I’ll be more inspired to work on during the night, given its darker nature). We’ll see. Regardless, I’m excited to start working on a new project. Almost as excited as I am to finally say Inventing Vazquez is ready ^_^

Musically, things continue to take form. My band, The Pineapple Brigade, is starting to look like one. My fellow guitarist and I recently hooked up with a great drummer, and so now we just need a bassist and a female singer. So far, the three of us seem to have really good chemistry and compatibility, and we’re all on the same page musically. So who knows, maybe this summer, we’ll actually be able to gig. That’s my hope, anyway.

Of course, if given the choice between landing an agent or a summer gig, I wonder which I’d go with? ^^;

So please wish me luck in finding a good literary agent! I’m going to need it @_@

Agents, Sequels, and Pineapples. Oh my.

So I finally burned through most of my excess vacation time, and got quite a bit done. I began the process of researching literary agents, and came up with some very promising leads. I drafted both a query letter and a six-page synopsis for Inventing Vazquez. I still have to proof the first three chapters meticulously, and have them ready to go. My plan, now, is to send out the first batch of queries in early January. And then pray really really hard to the gods and the universe that, this time, a literary agent will want to work with me.

I also started the sequel to Inventing Vazquez, Electing Choi, in earnest. In fact, I completed both chapter ones (a little joke there, thanks to the dual narratives that start the story). My goal is to have the first 30 pages of Electing Choi written by the end of December (you know, a page a day, more or less), and so far, I’m at page 15, so I’m more or less on track. And I’m really excited about this project, not just because I get to work again with Liliana and her crew, but because of the plot twists I’m looking forward to writing down.

I’m going home for the holidays, and I’ll probably get more work done there. I think I’ll focus more then on editing the samples chapters and the query literature, to make sure I’m ready to go when I come back home in January. I hope to also map out the ideas and general direction for the e-zine I want to start, and then ask my friends and bro to join in the mayhem and help me get it off the ground. Have to think more on the title, though. The one I wanted is kind of already taken ^_^;

I also had the chance to compose four new songs, three of which I still need to write lyrics for. Ugh, that’s one thing I struggle with, mostly because I never know what to sing about. Heh, ‘sing’. There’s a lie if I ever said one. The truth is, I’m getting more and more frustrated with my inability to sing well. One of my new songs, Room I-94, I did write lyrics for, and I tried singing it. And I couldn’t stand it. I really need to find a female musician/singer to do these songs. Because I find myself hating my own songs just because I kill them with my crummy vocals! ^^;

But things are looking interesting for The Pineapple Brigade. For one thing, it’s now my sole musical focus. Following all kinds of misunderstanding, I was unceremoniously dropped from the blues band I was with on Sunday. Via voicemail. Because that’s the mature way of handling such things. I was pissed for a while on Sunday, not because I’d been let go (like I always said, blues was never my thing), but because of the way it was handled. It really irritates me that people can’t seem to tell you things in person. In person, they tell you things are great, you’re great, hey, let’s stay together, we love to have you, bla bla bla. But when they decide to contradict everything they told you in person, and leave you a voicemail saying, “Yeah, I’ve hired a friend to play bass, thanks,” you realize you’re probably better off not working with them. Dear gods, what ever happened to common courtesy and manners?

Still, after blowing off some steam and leaving that guy a voicemail calling him out for his lack of professionalism, I saw things in a different light. Now I think this is the universe’s way of saying I’m supposed to be working to make The Pineapple Brigade happen. That I shouldn’t have been spending time on a musical project my heart simply wasn’t into. That now’s the time to focus back in on the music I love and want to play live. And I’ve got a great foundation to build on. I have 12 original songs ready to go. That’s enough not just for a set, but for an album. So maybe now’s the time to keep working on those songs, and some new songs, and work toward making The Pineapple Brigade more than just a ‘project’.

The other thing is that I’ve been in touch with a really cool guitarist who’s recently moved to Detroit. While we haven’t jammed yet, I have high hopes that we’ll be able to work together, now that our musical tastes are virtually identical, we’re the same age, we’re both experienced musicians, and we have the same attitude and passion toward music. If he and I decide to start The Pineapple Brigade in earnest, well, it’ll be a critical first step toward making the whole band idea come true.

So that’s what’s been going on. In other words, nothing much, really. Anywayz, stay warm, folks. And remember: you don’t win friends with salad.