This is a thrilling time in my life. After ending a career in medicine I am now on to pursue my next love — writing fiction. I have to say this feels just as daunting as taking board exams; not in the sense that if I don’t pass a torturous test, I can’t practice. No. It’s more akin to the feeling that there is so much I don’t know. Not yet.
The manuscript of my debut novel is complete. My amazing editor, Andrea Brunais, is probably sleeping off a Xanax binge after correcting my grotesque misuse of the English language.
So, what’s next? In the Don Quixote-like quest of traditional publishing, it’s time to meet my writing-career life partner. Others just call them “agent”. There are many more steps to take before I can hope to see my name on a book cover. But, right or wrong, for me, finding an agent that shares in my vision of where I want to take my career trumps anything else that has to happen between now and the book’s release. The trick — it’s not really a trick — is sifting through the thousands of professionals in the industry, and demonstrating all of the attributes that my future partner needs to see in me before they commit significant time, resources and a part of their own career. That’s no small feat. It’s hard enough to accomplish that when we’re looking for love. Agents get hundreds of suitors a month. Imagine winning the Bachelor with thousands of contestants. Well, challenge accepted! See you all on the battlefield.