Book It!

"Go on. Just book it!"

I was lying spread eagle on a floating trampoline when I heard this expression for the first time. The bizarre floating entity upon which I was sprawled was attached to a nearly identical instrument of torture by a five-meter, green inflated tube. A small group of teenagers, both male and female, were taking turns trying to make it across without falling into the lake. Upon careful observation, it appeared the key to success was a combination of agility and speed, neither of which I possess. I can barely bounce on one spot without falling, hence my moment of repose. 'Book it,' apparently meant 'go fast.' Ha. There is absolutely nothing fast about a book.

The girls started school on Monday which has allowed my novel to come out of hibernation. On my return from Canada, a large white envelope awaited me: the feedback from my SCBWI writing partner. Her leading comment read as follows:

I really think you've done it with this draft! Time to start sending it out.

Great! Of course, she included constructive criticism as well, but her intro made it much easier to swallow and incorporate.

So now I'm sending out queries--yet another learning experience. In case you are as novice to the whole process as I am, I suggest you check out agent Nathan Bransford's blog. I'm in the process of reading his back-posts on how to compose a query. His blogging style is relaxed and funny, but his recommendations are highly professional.

As for my queries, I've had some responses already, not all good, but so far my emotional armour is intact. I've sent out one partial manuscript and one full, so I'm well on my way. To be honest, I'd like to start writing something else. The real question is, 'What?'

Hmm... Where's a giant floating trampoline when you need one?