The Waiting Game

Helen Jones, a writer currently seeking representation for her YA series, discusses her experiences of searching for an agent, developing a thick skin and not giving up.

I love to write, and in recent years have been lucky enough to get paid to write for other people. But now I’m making my first foray into fiction and am finding that this is a whole new ball game. Just over a year and a half ago, I sat down and started writing my first book, and about a year ago sent out that first effort to a small group of agents. Ha. What I discovered was that I have a great deal to learn so, being of an enquiring mind, thought I’d better get on with it. And here’s what I’ve come up with so far.

Once you’ve written your story, you need to show it to people. Get used to it. It is, after all, why we’re writing. I’ve had work published in different magazines and, at the time, was very proud to show people, buying multiple copies for family and friends. But there is something so personal and different about writing fiction, about creating your own story - at least that’s how it’s been for me. So although it may feel as though you are stripping your soul bare, you need to step back from those words that for so long have been just the two of you in a quiet room. Stamp down that little voice that says it’s not ready, it’s not good enough, no one will like it. Give it to your beta readers, grit your teeth and wait. And you will, hopefully, be pleasantly surprised.

Once your manuscript has been read and re-read, edited and polished, criticism taken and praise enjoyed, it’s time to put together a submission package. One that sparkles and shines, is well written and professional, crafted to catch the eye of an agent or reader. No problem, right? You are a writer, after all. Except…

Writing a single page synopsis is possibly the most hair-tearingly difficult thing on earth. This is closely followed by composing a cover letter, in which each word is carefully considered and targeted towards a specific agent.

And then, after six or eight or twelve weeks you may get a letter back that starts ‘Dear Author…’. Or you may not hear anything at all. But you cannot, you mustn’t ever take it personally, even though at times it’s really hard not to. If you’re going to do that you may as well give up, put your manuscript in a box and forget about it. This is such a competitive and subjective industry, agents are inundated daily with so many submissions, and you really have to cultivate the proverbial rhinoceros hide and keep moving forward. On occasion, there will be agents, among them the brightest and busiest, who will take the time to write back to you personally. Just a few encouraging sentences, but words to treasure as you enter once more into the fray.

And if you do get that magical call or email requesting the full manuscript, even then you’re not out of the woods. There’s still only a slim chance you’ll be chosen for representation, and yet more interminable waiting where you have to keep your hands from reaching for the keyboard and emailing ‘just to check in.’ Stay calm, grasshopper. You’re not ready to leave the temple just yet.

One bright side to all the waiting is that it gave me ample opportunity to fine-tune my manuscript. I had a couple of months (moving house and subsequent renovations) where I didn’t have time to look at my writing at all. When I did get back to it, I realised there was still work to be done. So that was another lesson. Put your work away, hide it, go outside, ignore the rattle from the drawer as it calls out, demanding to be tweaked and reworked. Let it grow fainter until it’s gone altogether, and then it can be taken out of the drawer and read with a fresh perspective.

While we write alone, there is no need to work alone. One thing that has been a joy to discover is the wonderful community out there. So get online, join a writing group, start a blog, connect with others. As writers, I think we can all support and be there for each other, applauding our triumphs and sharing our woes, for they are all part of the same journey.

Sometimes it amazes me that anything gets published at all, given all the hurdles we need to jump just to get a foot in the door. But yet new stories appear to enchant us each year. And that, really, is what it’s all about. The story. The reason we sit down and start to write in the first place. So I’ve learnt to hang on. To keep going, to play the waiting game. And I comfort myself with the thought that, even if I can’t get an agent to sit up and take notice, I can still publish it myself. But that’s a whole other blog post.

You can read more about Helen’s experiences as a writer on her blog, Journey to Ambeth. She is currently working on the fourth book in a series of YA fantasy novels, The Ambeth Chronicles, with the final two parts also taking shape. More books are waiting behind those. She is yet to find an agent.