Dear Sir or Madam

Hello, dreamers.

Though I’m still waiting on several responses, at least two of which I know are coming, I’ve decided this query window has drawn to a close. On the bright side, this time I plan to hold off on modifying my materials and manuscript, because I don’t actually know whether there will be another query round. Because another may not be necessary.

In any event, the time has come to move forward, which is the right direction for any author. I have four short fiction submissions right now, and a vast and growing catalog of short fic manuscripts to play with. And of course I have my next big project: finishing Aquarius 1. That undertaking will likely occupy the bulk of my writing efforts for the remainder of the year.

So I’ll be putting Seven Days on Samarkand aside for the time being. Honestly, I feel it’s the right time for it: even without the extant queries, I’ve spent the better part of the past year and a half with this thing. It’ll be nice to step back and leave well enough alone for a while, then come back with fresh eyes around the end of the year.

But one thing’s for certain: this isn’t “goodbye”. Whether or not this round of queries ultimately bears fruit, I’m not done with Seven Days on Samarkand. Because this can only end one way.

The Continuing Mission

Longtime readers will know that, though I often use the popular term Query Trenches, I don’t think of my querying journey as trench warfare. Rather, I think of it as a space mission. Because, well, I’m me. But also because I view this the way I view the Apollo Program, or the International Space Station.

Every round of queries is another launch. I send another bunch of queries out into space, hoping one of them will finally reach its destination. But it’s important to remember that, while everyone talks about the successes of the space program, few talk about all the failures that led to it.

Our pursuit of space travel has been littered with fits and starts. Rockets have detonated on the launch pad. Fires have broken out inside capsules. Space shuttles have broken apart during reentry. Good people have died. But through it all, our species has never given up. We’ve never even really considered it. Because the stars are our destiny, just as a published novel is mine.

Over the past year, I’ve felt myself getting closer and closer to my goal. I won a contest. I sold two short stories. I received some heartening feedback on my first round of queries. I received a pair of awards, saw my work in print for the first time. I’ve signed books. Made the newspaper. And now, I’ve made it into at least one agent’s “maybe pile”.

All of this can only mean one thing: it’s working. All of my hard work, all my time and effort, is finally starting to yield results. I’m getting noticed. And if nothing else, that certainly feels good.

In a recent post, I mentioned the importance of writers taking time to appreciate victories, however minor. And for the first time, I look back upon the past twelve months and see a lot of minor victories. So I’ve taken a moment here and there to appreciate my success. But in the end, a moment is all I have.

Minute by minute, I’m getting stronger. My platform is growing. My name recognition is increasing. My résumé is getting more impressive. I now have two publishing credits in laudable publications, a pair of international awards, and a full membership in the SFWA. So if another round of queries is indeed necessary (as will likely be the case), I’ll have a far better chance when the time comes.

For now, however, it’s time to put querying on the back burner, and move forward. As such, this will be my last “Dear Sir or Madam” post until autumn. But make no mistake: I’ll be back.

The mission continues. – MK