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# Innocent Dreams: Author Update, July 2022
- URL: https://nelsonroberto.com/author-update/july-2022/
- Published: 2022-07-26T18:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2025-09-16T12:27:57.000Z
- Description: Over the past month, I queried three literary agents and took the most significant break from the book since I started the project in January 2016. Even though taking a break feels a little weird, it is nice to slow down and give the story (and myself) space to breathe.
- Author: Nelson🇺🇸/Roberto🇸🇻
- Tags: Author Update

## 🤔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 Latinxauthors, who I had never heard of before. As a result, my reading list is growing longer by the day!

💡

*I'd describe [Latinx](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latinx?ref=nelsonroberto.com) as a gender-neutral term that tries to represent the experience of a group of people who live in the United States but whose roots or cultural heritage stem from Latin America. For more on this subject, I recommend reading [Finding Latinx: In Search of the Voices Redefining Latino Identity](https://amzn.to/3cIb6c7?ref=nelsonroberto.com) by journalist [Paola Ramos](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paola%5FRamos%5F%28journalist%29?ref=nelsonroberto.com).*

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)](https://nelsonroberto.com/beyond-the-book/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