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Suzanne
Chazin
 It
took me five years to write my first book. I was juggling the demands
of a baby and a job as a magazine writer, so all of my writing had
to be done after the baby went to bed. I wrote from 9PM to 1AM usually
four or five nights a week.
I didn't shop my book to agents until I thought I'd
gone as far as I could by myself. That was after three full drafts
(and three years of solid writing). Then I wrote up a one-page teaser,
similar to the flap copy on a published novel. I shopped it to about
30 agents and got two bites. I went with my agent, Matt Bialer,
because he wasn't looking for a "quick sale." He told me he'd work
with me on a "handshake basis," until he thought I had something
he could sell. A year --- and three full drafts ---later, he signed
me. Within ten days, we got three offers and made the sale. It was
the fastest thing that has ever happened to me in publishing.
I think if I'd known how arduous the rest of the process
would be, I might have given up. I'm really glad I didn't because
I discovered that there's something even better than getting published.
I call it the "Pit Stop moment." One day, I went to our local Pit
Stop for an oil change. The mechanic looked up his records and noted
that in nine months, I'd barely driven three thousand miles. I started
fumbling for an explanation. I was a writer, you see, and well,
I didn't do much except put words on paper. As I was talking, I
realized that I really liked what I was doing. I had passed from
wanting to be published to a more magical and satisfying place-that
of wanting to spend time with my characters. I still live for that
moment. It's what makes the whole process worth the pain.
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