Hello, everyone! Welcome to the world of an aspiring author. I thought I'd blog about the ups and downs I'm experiencing on the road to publication, and I'm inviting you along for the ride!
I guess I should start this journey by telling you a little about myself. My name is Amy Machelle, and I'm a first grade teacher who uses writing to escape after long days of tying shoelaces, opening ketchup packets, and begging children to please use tissues instead of their sleeves. Writing has always been a hobby for me, but it has swiftly turned into an obsession over the past year. Like most writers, I dream of one day having my work published. My debut young adult novel, Saving Elizabeth, was completed during the summer of 2010. I submitted a portion of the manuscript to the HarperCollins website for young adult authors, inkpop.com, in March of 2010. By June of that year it had been voted a top 5 pick by its young adult community, and won a review from one of the HarperCollins editors. I edited the manuscrpt and made some changes per the review. Now, I'm seeking an agent to represent my work.
Talk about a daunting task! It definitely isn't for the faint of heart. If you're a fellow writer who just happened to stumble onto my blog, then you know exactly what I'm talking about! Rejection isn't just a maybe in the writing world, it's a definite, and I've experienced my fair share. I've queried twelve agents so far, and nine of those have rejected my work. While it's easy to get discouraged, I choose to look on the bright side of things. These rejection letters are mere stepping stones leading me to the one agent who will love my work and want to see it in print as much as I do. I also keep in mind I'm not the first author to experience rejection, and I certainly won't be the last. Dr. Seuss, Madeline L. Engle, Rudyard Kipling, Mary Higgins Clark, H.G. Wells, and William Faulkner all experienced rejection letters before having their work published. What did all of these people have in common, besides the fact that their talents weren't immediately discovered? They didn't give up, and I don't plan on giving up either! So, do you dare to be a passenger on this long and tedious journey to publication? If so, then buckle up, and hold on. It's going to be a bumpy ride! Here we go...............
