in adventures in manuscript submission 198 Words

Now we are so happy, we do the dance of joy!

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I think I had this awesome post planned out about wiregrass and self-doubt, about how they snake their tendrils through the darkness and silently strangle everything they touch, but I can hardly string words together.

This morning, I open my email and find a message from an agent who wants to see the first fifty pages of my book.

My kids want to know why I am screaming and jumping around the house.  I babble something incoherent about dreams and explain the publishing industry to my seven-year-old in about thirty breathless and incoherent seconds.  He stares, and then smiles.  He doesn’t get the nuances of queries and submissions, but he knows about dreams.

I call my husband.  He’s not in his office yet.

I call my parents.  My mom sounds groggy but excited.  She advises me to parade around the house via the furniture.  This is now definitely on today’s agenda.

I call my husband again.  He has to ask me to repeat what I just said.  Turns out those spaces between words are there for a reason.

This isn’t The Dream–not yet.  But it is possibility, which in some ways feels even more wonderful.

Wiregrass?  What wiregrass?

 

 

17 thoughts on “Now we are so happy, we do the dance of joy!”

  1. Brenna that is so AMAZINGLY AWESOME!!!! Congratulations on the fantastic news!!!

    1. Thanks, Gavin! Hopefully this will go somewhere….but if not, it’s still really good affirmation that at least I’m on the right track!

  2. That’s such wonderful news Brenna!! Now if you think waiting for any response was hard, waiting for the agent to read the first 50 pages and then get back to you is like murder. Imagine being 5 again and it’s december 1st, only 24 days till xmas but to you it feels like 6 months are dragging by. Try to keep your skin on 😛

  5. Dancing for joy is a fine old family tradition. Your grandparents would be jitterbugging, your parents are dancing for joy and they have four left feet. You rock baby girl! love, mom

  6. Dai dai dai Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! *hugs*

    I love it! Thank you for posting this. I’ve sent a query per week this year, and many – many of them are still in the queue. No requests to read just yet, but soon, soon, (right?).

    I love the parade around the house via the furniture suggestion!

    1. Thanks! Yes–soon! You are conscientious about your writing, and diligent, and you will not give up because you are mighty! I don’t know if my current submission will go anywhere, but it’s nice to be reminded that there are actually real people reading our stuff. And I’m so happy you know the proper lyrics to The Dance of Joy. 🙂

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