I began my first book when I was a junior in high school. Then came college, marriage . . . life. In that time, I piddled with my words, even wrote a book or two. But I didn't become serious about this business until six years ago, when I decided to join a local writer's group and an online group called American Christian Romance Writers (now American Christian Fiction Writers). I joined a critique group, took online writing workshops, read writing book how-to's and attended writer's conferences, where I eventually met my first agent, which led to more waiting and disappointment. Now I have a new agent, Rachelle Gardner, at WordServe Literary.
One way to view this journey is from a student's perspective. To read more about this logic, visit Randy Ingermanson's Site.
- A Freshman knows she wants to write a book but has no "formal training."
- A Sophomore has written a book or is working on one, has read books on writing, joined writer's groups, has even gone to a conference or two, but every proposal or query she's sent out has been rejected. Or maybe she's too scared to even send out a proposal. This phase may take several years to get through.
- A Junior is a strong writer. She's improved her craft, been asked to submit a proposal to an editor or two, but still faces rejection. She begins to wonder if she'll ever be published. Again, this might take several years.
- Finally, a Senior has reached a point of excellence. By this time, she's garnered the interest of a few publishers and may even have an agent, but still she wonders "will it ever happen?" Then one day when she least expects it, she gets that elusive but magical phone call that says a publisher has offered her a contract!
