I got a rejection letter yesterday from an agent who said they liked my premise but my writing didn’t draw them in the way they were expecting. Ouch!

That could be their idea of a form letter, but I prefer to think of it as the closest I’ve come to date. It’s certainly the most informative reply I’ve received. I sent out the query in September. Could it be that they moved me into their “Worth Another Look” pile before rejecting me on the second round? And if so, should I keep some of that query letter intact when I rewrite it? I already got rid of the ten pages I sent them, because a writer I’ve been working with in the Four Winds Woodshed  demonstrated to me how long it takes me to get into my story.

I over–complicate things when I write because it keeps me from thinking I’m not doing anything good, or original. I think many writers probably suffer from this. It’s time for me to start ripping away the extraneous stuff so that the reader can see the goodness that lies at the heart.