🤔Time To Reflect
Over the past month, I managed to query three literary agents. I haven't heard back from any of them yet and may not for a while since the typical response time is 6 to 8 weeks.
I've also been researching other potential agents to query. This has been an interesting process because it has exposed me to many authors, especially Latinx authors, who I had never heard of before. As a result, my reading list is growing longer by the day!
Other than pitching agents, I spent most of July not writing. This is probably the most significant break I've taken from the book since I started the project in January 2016.
Even though the time away feels a little weird, it is nice to slow down and give the story (and myself) space to breathe. It has given me a chance to think more deeply about certain aspects of the story that I didn't have the bandwidth to focus on while writing it.
For example, throughout the book, I mention different songs my character is listening to. While I primarily used these songs for setting, I've been thinking about if there was a way I could integrate this music more deeply into my character. I was on a walk the other day pondering this question when I came to a realization:
The song lyrics are a way for my character to express what he cannot say.
As I wrote in my article Feeling Like A Writer (Part 1), when I was younger, I often struggled to find the words to express how I felt. I think music was a way for me to get in touch with those often tricky emotions.
Using this insight, I wrote a couple of lines of dialogue for my character where he conveys this idea to a friend. It may seem like a small change, but I think it helps ground this aspect of the story in my own experiences.
👨🏽💻The Month Ahead
Next month is more of the same, researching and pitching agents. I'm also hoping to start working on the improvements to my website that I hinted at last month. But I'm also forcing myself to relax and enjoy the summer.
Sincerely,
Nelson/Roberto
