Apply Ass to Chair -- we've all heard this, attributed to many -- as the secret to writing success. For years I had this taped above my desk. Another on my wall was from Julia Cameron: Do you know how OLD I will be when I finish this novel? Yes, the same age you will be if you don't. Another was: Don't worry if it will sell or who will ever want to read it. Just finish the goddamn thing. And in 2009 -- I did! And then came the rejections. Well first came the writing of the query letter and synopsis which I was sure would take me as long as writing the "goddamn thing." I pledged to send out five queries every Monday morning. And THEN came the rejections. I started a database of agents, began a new novel and continued my Monday morning queries. I color coded my rejections. I read Catherine Wald's The Resilient Writer recommended by Randy Susan Meyers author of The Murderers Daughters (a book that will keep you up all night reading, by the way). I sent out more queries. Five months into this I went to the 2009 Backspace Agent/ Author conference in NYC. (www.bksp.org) I highly recommend this. I gave myself a talking to about not being shy and came away with invites from a few agents to query them. Validation! I kept sending out those Monday morning queries, writing my new pages, going to my critique group and of course, working, talking to family, listening to friends. Then very early the Friday after Thanksgiving, I opened an email from an agent who loved my novel and wanted to represent me. I woke up my sleeping guests and danced around house. Good luck to everyone in this process and persist. Persist.