My first agent of choice sent me a very nice letter regarding the first three chapters of my novel I'd sent to him. He tells me that I've got some smooth prose in my manuscript, that he likes the way the novel opens without set up or a lot of back story. Alas, he would nonetheless prefer to see more of the central conflict right up front, and he is therefore passing on representing this novel.

This is probably the most professional and, at that, helpful kind of rejection letter one could hope to receive. Of course, I wasn't hoping to receive a rejection letter, but I'm nonetheless glad that he told me *why* he is choosing not to help me sell my novel. It gives me the opportunity to decide whether it's worth re-writing before I go to the streets with it again.

My current plan is to try, try again. I'll query another agent or two or fifty. Not all at once, of course. That's considered bad form. Fortunately, though, the response was quick from my first agent of choice. Given the two upcoming television shows that have a remarkably similar premise to my novel, I need to move as quickly as I can in order to still be "timely."

In the meantime, a number of short stories that I've started to circulate are coming back to me with "Good writing, but I'm going to pass" letters, as well. Nonetheless, I keep sending them out, and writing new ones to send out. My goal is to get another new one out into circulation tomorrow.

Writing is hard work. Getting published is proving to be at least as hard as writing.

For those of you following the saga of getting my novel to market, I'll also mention that the title "The Do Over" is now officially retired. I won't be posting the new title here until I have representation for it, owing to the fact that titles can't be copyrighted and also owing to my paranoia that has resulted after the WB decided to create a show with the same title as my novel (and the same general premise, set in the same year, etc., etc.). However, I had a chance to market test it at an author reading last night and it went over well. E-mail me in private if you'd like to know the new title. :-)

For the record, however, allow me to state that receiving a rejection letter or six hasn't deterred me... but it hasn't made me happy, either.