What My Life Looks Like Lately as an Aspiring Author

I am and have always considered myself a writer; but to me, the difference between a writer and an author is publication (though this is debated and not necessarily a fact). I have always been a writer, but am still working towards published authorship. That being said, as someone who aspires to see my novels on bookstore shelves and NYT Best Seller Lists with a big name like Penguin or Harper attached, I'll never stop working toward my dream!

Becoming a traditionally published author is tricky, though. It takes work, skill, time, effort, tears, money, drive, patience, and luck. As many agents will say in their query rejections, publishing is a subjective business that is always evolving, and just because your work isn't the right fit for them at this time doesn't mean it won't be later, or be the perfect fit for someone else. Getting your book's query into the right hands (or inbox) at the right time is key to securing the support and representation agents offer their authors, but it can be daunting and difficult to know who the right agent/agency may be, or if your project will hit their passion nerves strong enough, even after researching them and their wishlists. It sometimes still comes down to luck and timing.

The query process is what I've been in the thick of these last few months! It's exciting and scary all at once. I've come a long way from the little girl who liked to tell and write stories instead of paying attention in math class; I've earned my Bachelor's degree in English and Literature and my Master's of Fine Arts in Creative and Professional Writing, taught a college course on storytelling, host a local writer's group, and have written two full-length peer-reviewed novels. I've learned so much about writing processes and structures, the publishing industry, and how to query agents; but let me tell you, no amount of preparation or skill can take away the anxiety of pressing submit on a new query, hoping this agent will be the one that your work speaks to. Hoping maybe this will be the click that leads to that dream of being the next big name in YA Fiction, making money from my writing and not needing a full time day job, but instead getting to write books full time for bookworms around the world to read.

Right now, I balance my writing life with running a photography business, working as a house cleaner five days a week, being a wife, dog mom, and new homeowner, and caring for my mental and physical health. To say there's been a lot going on in the last few years since I finished grad school would be an understatement, but I still find time to read and write multiple times a week, and my writer's group meets every month to share our work, get feedback, and keep each other motivated and on track with our goals!

After grad school, I decided not to continue querying my thesis novel, and instead focus on the next project. That project turned into my latest manuscript, my proudest work as a writer thus far in life, a YA novel about grief and love called All We Know. This is the book I'm currently querying, using QueryTracker.net as my main tool (I highly recommend this site to all aspiring authors looking for an agent).

Hopefully the next you'll hear about All We Know will be the announcement that I've found representation!!

In the meantime, I'm sending out queries every day, and working on outlining my next novel (once I decide which of my ideas to draft next, that is)!

Later, Bookworms!

~ K.S.