It’s been a while since I shared a check-in on the process of writing my beginning chapter book, so here’s what I’ve been up to lately:

I’ve been deep in the content and grammar edits for my manuscript, while also sending it out to fresh eyes for feedback and critique.

At the same time, I’ve been researching literary agents who are currently open to submissions and a good fit for my genre and age range. That’s led me down the rabbit trail of learning exactly how to contact them, what they’re looking for, and how to make sure I’m following their guidelines correctly.

I’ve also been studying the art (and science) of writing a strong query letter, which feels like its own separate craft entirely. Getting an agent is the way to get traditionally published, and it feels super gate-keepy, but here we are. I guess some gates are necessary.

And in the middle of all of that: a fair amount of imposter syndrome and overwhelm. So, there’s been a lot of pep talks, a lot of prayer, and a lot of reminding myself to just keep going one small step at a time.

Next steps: finishing a solid final draft (we’re on draft three now), writing the query letter, and officially beginning the querying process with agents.