Jennifer Jordan

I just finished the eighth draft of my book Life in Flight. It’s actually the third time I have reworked the entire manuscript start to finish. The first five drafts were me trying to find the story.

And now I am ready to query!

I wrote my query letter using my voice and some phrases from the book to make it sound original. I added in some facts, but tried not to sound boring. For those readers who are unaware of the publishing lexicon, a query letter is something you write to an agent when you are looking for representation. Author and publishing expert Jane Friedman describes what these should look like for nonfiction authors.

My book can definitely be categorized as a mother/daughter story. To a certain extent, mother/daughter relationships are universal, but Latinx mother/daughter relationships are specific and complex, and this is one under-represented angle my memoir offers.

I have written and sent off query letters before, but this time around, I feel very genuinely finished with my book, in terms of the narrative. I am sure I will need to go back into the manuscript to edit, cut, and refine elements, like themes and reflection, but the bones of the book feel done. I have never felt this way before about my manuscript, so I think it’s time to celebrate this little win.

I also have a plan to not wait for an agent to publish my book. I am definitely going to try the agent route at first, and if I get no bites, I am going to send it to university and independent presses because my baby needs to grow legs and walk. I am in love with the idea of writing something new.

What would I write if I wasn’t writing the story I’ve been writing for twenty years? I am thinking I will go back to working on poetry for a while. I have unfinished poems I could revise and send out.

This is a question I get to ask myself now, and I thought I would ask you: writers, what project would you start if you were finished with your work-in-progress?