Two years of Insecure Writers Support Group! That's a long time in the blogosphere. Congrats, Alex Cavanaugh!
by Kim Van Sickler
Muleskinner is not my first novel. It's my third. It is an MG historical fiction mystery set on the 1840's Ohio Canal and featuring a guardian angel who assumes the form of boy's best friend--a dog. But it may be destined to languish on the hard drive of my computer. (Along with those first two novels I mentioned.) At least for now.
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| Lucky, the guardian angel in Muleskinner, bears an uncanny resemblance to my own mutt. :-) |
Two agent letters below tell the story.
Dear Kim,
I’m sorry for taking so long with your manuscript, especially since I have decided to pass. While I think the manuscript is very readable and includes fantastic details of the time period, I thought the pacing was too slow for the intended readership. There are action passages early on but we don’t get to the central conflict early enough to sustain the Middle Grade reader, I think.
Of course, this is just one opinion and someone else might feel differently. I appreciate the opportunity to consider and wish you all the best of luck with Muleskinner.
All best,
Melissa
Dear Kim,
Thank you so much for the opportunity to review your current project. As you know, this is a business based on personal taste and unfortunately, I didn’t love MULESKINNER the way I had hoped. While I found the premise to be intriguing, I was unable to connect with the writing and so this is a pass for me. Please do know that I wish you all the best with this and your future endeavors.
Sincerely,
Whitney
I'm shoulder deep in edits on my fourth manuscript right now. My gut tells me to get my WIP edited and out to beta readers before I revisit Muleskinner. And the delay will also give me time to see if any other agents I've queried will bite. And to see if Muleskinner made the agent cut in Brenda Drake's latest Pitch Madness competition.
Are you pressing on despite news you'd rather not hear? Or celebrating some good news?
So sorry about the rejections, but awesome that they were personalized. And pacing is something you can fix. So hang in there.
ReplyDeleteI'm plodding along very slowly. My critique partner just inspired me to keep going.
Slow and steady, right? We'll win that race someday.
DeleteI agree with Natalie. Hard to receive those rejections--but the fact that they are personal is encouraging!! And you can fix it! I have found that time away from a project does help you gain perspective. Hope that does the trick for you! Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteYes, I hope the time away will give me a new perspective...and it will be a pleasant reprieve from the emotionally draining story I'm working on now.
ReplyDeleteJust stopping by from the IWSG to say Hi :)
ReplyDeleteAwwwww, honey, sorry to hear you've had some rejections....but....even the BEST writers had LOADS of rejections. You're a proper writer now :)
Good luck!
xx
Oh, I'm proper all right! LOL
DeleteRejections re always tough, but a good rejection gives you something you can fix, & Agent A does that. Time away is always good, too. From someone who has been plugging away for more years than I care to mention, hang in there & remember to enjoy the process.
ReplyDeleteYes, you are exactly right. And I really do enjoy writing. I'm hoping to hear some very good news from your end soon!
DeleteI know how you feel as far as being torn between finishing up ms 4 or going back and revising 3! I think you're making the right call, but I know how hard it is.
ReplyDeleteGood luck! The plus side to getting this kind of feedback is that you know you're heading in the right direction if they're taking the time to give a personal letter. :)
Oh, I'm so sorry you don't have better news. I suspect your gut is right in telling you to finish your next before going back to Muleskinner. Yay for the personal R's, and hugs for the slow road. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Marcia. I'm so thrilled for you working on edits with your new agent. I just haven't caught up yet.
DeleteYou've written 3 novels? Congratulations Kim! That is an accomplishment in itself. Something to be proud of!
ReplyDeleteI'm plodding along... step-by-step... and everyday I learn something new... but the main thing is that there's progress, no matter how small...
Michelle
September co-host for IWSG.
Writer In Transit
I think I'd be inclined to continue with #4. When that one's out, you can go back and revise #3. Good luck.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with the pitch madness competition!
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear about the rejections you received, but at least they were personalized and the agents offered some feedback.
My cover reveal is next Wednesday Sept. 11 and I'm very excited. Sorry about your agent failures but remember there are writers who received many rejections before being accepted for the exact same work. So all I can is don't give up.
ReplyDeleteAt least they gave you some feedback. You can always go back and revise.
ReplyDeleteKeep busy with all of your projects. When you're just waiting, it will make you nuts.
Thanks everyone! We do have to look on the bright side of setbacks or else we'll drive ourselves nuts! I am really excited to meet and talk with an expert for my WIP on 9/5. And I just learned of another expert who might be willing to lend a hand as well. So my WIP is forefront on my mind right now! Muleskinner will have to wait...
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry that you received disappointing news, but you deserve many points for all of your efforts. The good news is that you can either use their suggestions, or concentrate on other things. You've received some great advice just in the comments alone, so just find what works best for you.
ReplyDeleteJulie
Sigh, I hated receiving queries like that.
ReplyDeleteMaybe you should just give Muleskinner a break while you work on your other project. The distance might just be what you need to figure out how to make the story better. I don't think you should give up on it just yet.
But of course, only you know if that's the right thing to do. :-)