It seems the web is full of blog posts from people who sat down, dashed off a first or second draft of their book, happened to open Twitter, noticed a pitch session going on that day, crafted a tweet in 15 minutes, posted it, got “liked” by an agent, sent in their manuscript, and signed within a week.
Umm.
It definitely wasn’t like that for me.
Of course, during all those years of rejections, I fought the fear that my writing wasn’t good enough and I would never get published.
It’s tempting to believe, “If I were really talented, I wouldn’t have to work so hard for my genius to be appreciated.”
But many studies, as well as my exceedingly wise writing teacher, Theo Nestor, have said that it’s not the most talented writers who get the publishing contracts — it’s the ones who don’t give up.
Good news for me. I’m the poster child for dogged determination. I first started writing my memoir in 1999. I started taking writing classes in 2014. I didn’t complete the first draft of the memoir until 2017.
I wrote query letters. I crafted a proposal. I wrote and revised loglines, synopses, and twitter pitches. I researched agents. I pitched and rewrote the pitches.
In November 2018, after dozens of revisions and 35 rejections, I signed with an agent. By the end of the month, I had four offers for my memoir, Flying Free, the story of how a timid child used math to overcome bullies and her own fears to become a champion pilot.
The 7 Stages of Memoir Writing
In the following series of biweekly posts (Tues/Thurs), I’ll break down how I got there in what I call the 7 Stages of Memoir Writing:
- Wanting to write
- Writing first draft
- Revising and research
- Querying
- More querying
- Agent representation and book deal
- Editing and publication
The next post will be live Thursday, June 27, 2019. See you then!
Thanks, Cecilia– I am looking forward to reading the rest of the posts in this series.
You are most welcome, Lilith! Thanks for the comment, and I hope you continue to enjoy the series.
so encouraging!
Thanks, Amy!
Thanks for the reality picture. I, too, grow weary and defeated by exposure to the “Get published in Six Weeks” come-ons out in the world. “How I grew my Facebook followers to 100,000 while publishing my sixth book this year and how you can, too”
So not falling for those any more. Plodding along like the tortoise I am and heartened by this opening “chapter” to look forward to more. Thanks for keeping it real!
Thanks, Lora. I’m glad you found it useful — and real! I definitely know what you mean…
I really enjoyed reading this, and getting the reality check that the fantasy stories are not the real deal for most people. I appreciate your determination, doggedness, and willingness to share your story with others!
Thank you, Toni, for your very kind comment! So glad you enjoyed it.
I don’t know, Cecilia—you are such a marvel that I’m not sure I could follow your path if I tried, but I’m fascinated and inspired enough to keep reading!
Thank you so much for your very kind words, Ruth! I actually believe most people could do the sorts of things I did. You see where I am today, but it’s harder to see where I started — a girl who was so timid and fearful that I could barely talk in school, someone whom no one expected much of. I wrote the memoir because I feel that others can also learn to break free of those constraints.
Wonderful post! We are linking to this great article on our site. Keep up the great writing.
you should write more
I agree with your points, good post.
This is a great article. Thanks so much for sharing!