It stings, of course. But the bright side is that every published author has experienced the same thing, so you’re not alone. The goal is to move on. To figure out once and for all how to stop getting those lousy rejections.

Is it you or the publishing industry?

You're in a wacky profession, to be sure. Not only must you send dozens of copies of your work to dozens of agents in the hopes of finding one, just one, with even a mild curiosity, you must also wait and wait for a response that may or may not ever come. It's a vicious cycle writers are forced to repeat month after month until they feel as though they're head-butting the Hoover Dam.

But what if the dam you're butting is not the publishing industry? What if it is in fact the . . . manuscript?

Here are the Top Twelve Storytelling Questions to ask yourself before you contact another agency. If you can’t answer these in, say, five seconds, your story has problems.

1)  Who is the main character? (Do you know him inside and out? Do you like him? Would you want to be trapped in an elevator with him?)

2)  Who is the storyteller? (In most cases, the answer to this question will be the same as #1. If your POV leaps have exceeded five, however, it’s time to ask, Why-for-come? Whose story is it anyway?)

3)  What does the main character want? (Is she embarking upon a specific journey or is she aimlessly rolling along with the tumbleweeds?)

4)  On which page does she divulge her goal? (Somewhere in the first chapter? Yay!)

5)  When does the antagonist appear? (Remember, an antagonist needn’t be a person. It can be the weather, a phobia, a four-lane freeway—whatever the main character perceives as an obstacle. But it needs to show up fairly soon to create that most necessary element: conflict.)

6)  Which steps does the main character take to overcome his obstacle(s)? (No passive waiting. No yammering about what he’s going to do. He must DO stuff.)

7)  Are these steps shown, or at least referred to, in every chapter? (Is the storytelling focused? No side trips to Mars, Egypt or Aunt Bertha’s house unless such excursions pertain to the goal at hand.)

8)  Is there a sense of forward movement from beginning to end? (She did this, which led her to this, and that happened, which led her to do this, and then this happened . . . Feel the wind in your hair?)

9)  How many flashbacks or back stories are in the current story? (Less than 3? Double yay!)

10)  Does each scene contain tight and engaging dialogue? (Are readers allowed to live the story through conversations and actions? Or are they consistently told what’s going on?)

11)  Does the climax elicit a strong emotion? (Sadness, joy, relief, pride, arousal, enlightenment?)

12)  By the last chapter, has the main character changed? (Surely he’s gone through some sort of transformation. If not, what's the point of the story?) 

Were your answers quick and positive? You've nailed the storytelling. You just haven't yet found the agent who matches your enthusiasm. Keep kicking it out the door. And may it cause a bidding war the likes of which the publishing industry has never known.

Were your answers slow and negative? Don't fret. You can fix that manuscript before it leaves the house again. Forget about finding the perfect agent (and by the way, the perfect agent is the one who sells your work), focus on what you’re submitting. Great stories naturally attract agents, so that is the least of your worries. Crafting great stories, on the other hand, is the hard part.

IN A NUTSHELL
If several agencies are telling you no, there’s a reason for it. Reevaluate what you’ve written. And if you're struggling, don’t be afraid to ask for help.

© 2007 Elizabeth Guy