Don’t Pull Your Hair Out

For the last three days I’ve agonized over writing two pages that could possibly launch Ninety-nine into the publishing world; a cover letter and a one page synopsis.

Where to begin, I wondered.  What was the best way to present the book that would catch the agent’s attention?

I wish I could tell them of the writing process and how that literally everyday of the nine months it took to write Ninety-nine, I woke up feeling inspired.  And then after it was finished, as I walked through some of the toughest times in my life, the Holy Spirit used scenes from this book to minister deeply to my heart.

However, in the professional world of writing, these things don’t matter. They’re concerned about word count, credentials and platforms. So I went through the motions, trying my best to explain an 110,000 word novel in two measly pages. Two pages that could determine the future of this book that means so much to me.

Two days into the task at hand with very little progress, I was ready to pull out my hair. Instead, I took a break and went for much needed haircut. As the stylist cut my hair, I began to open up about my woes of writing these dreaded papers, which lead to a conversation about the book. She listened intently as I described the storyline in as much detail as possible, without giving too much away.  As I spoke I could feel the Holy Spirit breathing on our conversation, giving me the boldness to speak about God’s love and how He’s able to redeem even the darkest places of our lives (which is the message of Ninety-nine.)  The stylist wasn’t a Christian, but she seemed genuinely eager to read the book. It was so encouraging because that was our intention from the beginning. We wanted to write a book that wouldn’t be preachy, but would clearly display the love of God towards humanity, no matter what there brand of religion or lack there of.

I’m still not finished working on the cover letter and synopsis, but my experience at the salon gave me fresh inspiration and determination to see it through. It’s amazing what a good haircut can do 🙂