Dear Lit Loves,
Well, along this journey to score a traditional publishing deal, it has become sharply apparent to me that maybe I wasn't meant to secure a literary agent. I've always been a radical independent soul. Some would even dare to call me a loner and I wear that with a badge of pride. I don't like city living (too many people). I like the open country and two lane winding roads that just might end in a bean patch. Seriously, you can ask my husband; this happened on one of first vacations together. That's probably why I'm heavily drawn to Chapel Hill and blue heaven as opposed to Raleigh and its often rude, obnoxious, and non-law-abiding citizens. I'm specifically speaking to the guy who almost ran me over on a two lane road in downtown Raleigh where I was observing the thirty-five mile per hour speed limit in front of a school. The same driver yelled obscenities at me once I turned off the road and he promptly sped off to his obviously more important life than mine. Now that I think about it, he most likely was a Millennial as I'm good at judging a person's age and he also seemed to have a cell phone attached to his face. Puhhllleeessseee, don't get me started.
And getting back on a literary track, I must say I haven't corresponded with any literary agent who I felt truly understood and connected with my writing. I've corresponded with one who wanted me to write more like Joan Didion. Say what? Lady, I'm most sure Joan Didion and I live on entirely different planets. Plus, I like my own style and manner of writing and as I've always advised my writing students, Don't Be A Copy Cat!! Next, I had a literary agent who basically said she didn't represent memoir authors who don't have a national platform. Basically, I took this to mean that I'm not Meryl Streep, a renowned academic, or a magazine journalist. Talk about taking body blows to your self-esteem. Well, if the agent wants to wait around for Meryl Streep to call and offer her a chance to represent her memoir, I guess she can afford to wait till hell freezes over, but I can't. And by the way, Meryl will most likely utilize a literary agent from a ginormous famous agency who is really going to fight to get her a damn good deal because she's that good and she has those kind of connections. I would if I were her. And here's a news bulletin/flash: academics and journalists do not necessarily have the market cornered on readily being able to connect and identify with the everyday or more independent-spirited women in the world. And finally, there is the literary agent who informed me she wanted to represent quirky memoirs. She really didn't want to tackle a memoir author who addressed serious women's issues such as domestic violence, chauvinism, corporate inequality, counseling a friend through a terminal illness, or tackling caring for elderly parents when you are their healthcare power of attorney. A memoir addressing serious women's issues of the everyday variety?! Oh God! Let's all run for our lives or hide! Yeah, that's going to get you places fast my little literary friend. Lord. Help. Me. I don't have the patience for this, I swear.
So, I thought about these recent exchanges and correspondences. And I said to myself, "Oh, The Hell With You! I'll Just Go Damn Well Do It Myself!" And that's just what I plan to do. And as my husband says, "Watch Out For That Red-Headed Renegade Writer! She's chewing nails and spitfire mad!"
I'll keep you updated,
Grace
(Amy)
No comments:
Post a Comment