At a softball tournament recently, I saw this advice proudly displayed on the back of a t-shirt:
NEVER LET STRIKING OUT KEEP YOU FROM PLAYING THE GAME
I felt discouraged. My batting average was (and still is) exactly zero. Since I began sending queries, I have accumulated about a hundred and fifty “strikeouts.” Most disappointing are the misses I’ve had with stories I felt confident about.
How is it that what I consider my best work gets a pass from every agent who sees it?
The sad, universal truth is we are not the best judges of our own work. We cannot see the flaws in ourselves, much less the defects in the products we create. And our critique partners are often too nice or too supportive to be fully honest. Sometimes, I’m convinced, it’s just luck.
On a whim, I sent one of my first stories. It hadn’t been brought to a critique session. It hadn’t been revised sixteen times. It was loved by members of my family. The very next day, an agent requested the manuscript.
The odds of getting a request for a full manuscript are about six hundred to one (my estimate based on the number of queries agents field weekly). The odds of getting an offer of representation are even higher. Still, having a manuscript requested was farther than I’d ever gotten before in this game. Agents are the pitchers to publication, and I got a hit! Will it bring in a run? Or will it be a pop fly?
[Spoiler alert: pop fly!] I love Jennifer A. Nielsen’s analogy: the writing game is like Chutes and Ladders. Two steps forward to a short ladder that takes you a little closer to the finish line. Three steps to a chute where you slide back so far, you’re practically starting over.
Leave a comment about your experience in the batter’s box, your batting average, or other t-shirt wisdom. Thanks! : ) Professional Lee