In the beginning . . .

Hello world. This is my first blog entry.

I am a journalist living in the U.S. Midwest and two-and-a-half months ago I finished my first novel, "Fighting Chaos." As you can see, it is from the title of the book that this blog derives its name.

But this is more than just this first book. This blog will be about the struggles of being an aspiring novelist and then, hopefully, the trials of being a successfully published novelist.

It wasn't until after I finished "Chaos" that I started looking for a literary agent and the task is almost overwhelming. There is so much information about literary agencies and agents in books, magazines, blogs, websites . . . you name it. I have read more than I can describe but still feel I have only touched surface.

Although I was still learning the ins and outs of agencies and publishing and was still researching agents, I spotted an agent's website and thought he would be prefect for me. He was interested in new, first-time writers and one of his interests was in thrillers. "Chaos" is a 80,000-word spy novel and I thought it would fit the bill.

The agent wanted the query through his website and promised an answer in eight weeks.
I thought about it for hours, then filled out his online form and sent it. I logged off the computer for several hours and when I returned, I had an e-mail response from him. I was sure it was just an "I- got-your-e-mail-and-will-respond-later" note.

That isn't what he wrote. It was my first rejection and it came at 3:44 in the afternoon __ only 14 minutes after I sent the query!

I am not sure what the lesson is in that. He truly couldn't have judged my work in the amount of time he had it. But I am sure that I didn't catch his attention with his online form. One rejection down, 49 to go.

I decided to continue working on my query letter and learning about the business before I sent another query. I haven't queried another agent since, although I am about to start with a small batch of letters this week.

This blog will be about my journey. I share it in hopes that I can encourage others to keep writing despite the struggles.

Thanks for reading and remember, don't give up writing.