All the Right Junk in all the Right Places
We can learn something from Meghan Trainor's song, All About That Bass. Though she's singing about body image and how we should embrace our imperfections I think the sentiment applies to writing too.
How do I make the leap from booty to books? Here's how my mind works . . .
You can have all the right junk in all the right places in your manuscript and still get rejected. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but it's not simply about the beauty of your grammar and your unique writing style.
Surprise!!! It's about the story, the pace of the plot, the characters, the proverbial hook. It's about timing, who's reading your query, and what kind of mood they're in. It's about fitting into the mold and being the voice, the agent/publisher is looking for, NOW. If you're an actor auditioning for the part of a red-haired, green-eyed character, but you have long black hair and brown eyes, chances are you're not getting the part, no matter how good your junk looks!
That doesn't mean you give up. It means you absorb the rejection and move on to the next. And don't be afraid to adjust your junk and become the boom-boom that all the agents chase.
