AN HBO WRITER TOLD ME THESE 7 THINGS ALL NEW WRITERS MUST KNOW BEFORE SUBMITTING FICTION MANUSCRIPTS TO A Literary AGENT:

By Sahndra Fon Dufe.

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The time is 7pm. I’m wearing a red Jane-Eyre-era shirt dress, seated at Kitchen Restaurant in Eagle Rock while enjoying a dry glass of Chardonnay much more than the spicy sweet potato soup my new diet is forcing me to try. Around me, chatter about the cold weather buzzes alongside sounds of cutlery cutting food. In a few minutes, a Harvard Graduate would join me. A British-actor friend of mine set up the meeting, swearing this would be meaningful, post my recent decision to drop all my other creative trades, in sole favor of writing.

His name is Cinque Henderson, a Macmillan-published writer signed by a literary agent. Just like me, he used to be a teacher. These days, he writes full time, and his writing credits include HBO’s The Newsroom, and The Chi (Showtime). Remember August 2018 when singer extraordinaire Mother Aretha Franklin passed? Unfortunately, I do too. The New York Times asked him to cover that, and he did so beautifully in an opinion piece honoring the great legend. Cinque’s work has also appeared in The Washington Post, and The New Yorker. Fancy, right? That’s what I said.

He soon arrives, laid-back, but not enough to hide his striking green eyes under a black fitted hat. I notice he’s handsome, but I am more keen to learn. Here are some essential jewels I picked up from our hour together, paraphrased Into My writing voice. I hope these few tips are as helpful to you amateur and emerging sister-writers, as they were to me:

1. A Barely There Résumé worth 99 Cents???:

Naturally, my first question to Cinque was about what a new writer should include in a writer’s résumé. I was worried that, without nationally-published articles, all I have is a published novel from another country and some social media presence. Squinting his eyes as he struggled to follow my quick-paced line of questioning, he smiled and declared his current expertise in non-fiction in the hopes that his disclaimer would deter me from taking his advice literally. I ignored it, of course.

“The most important thing is the quality of your work,” Cinque said in a severe tone. Of course, it’s prestigious to have written for Elle, and O Magazine, but that has little to do with if a literary agent will sign your fiction novel. The agent wants fresh, original work which is undeniably exceptional and marketable (hopefully).

2. I AM DYING TO SUBMIT BY YEAR END! AM I READY ?:

When applying to Literary agents, ALWAYS Put Your Best Work Forward. Don’t rush to submit garbage. Most of us unrepresented writers are eager for representation. We know this is an essential bridge towards who we are now and the “bestselling writer” we imagine during our Youtube visualizations. We dream of the literary agent who would write us back with those three magic words: “I want to sign you.” Why shouldn’t we? The problem is some of us allow our hunger to blind us, instead of inspiring and motivating us. The message was crystal clear during my time with Cinque: The way I see it, the only thing you have control of is the quality of your writing. Everything else, including others’ opinion, is unfortunately out of your hands.

So,  take your time, take your time and produce good work, then submit knowing you’ve done your part.

3. MY MANUSCRIPT IS NOT COMPLETED, YET MY GUT TELLS ME TO SEND IT  :

Cinque laughed for a short while during our discussion about following one’s gut. He now trusts his gut 78% instead of 100% as was the case when he was younger, he joked.

On a more serious note, he asked me to “ read the writing Books, Manuals, Blogs, and expert advice but most importantly always Follow your Gut.”

I believe that when we align ourselves to the higher energies and keep our space zen and open for listening,  the secret messages meant for us will come in whispers, and while these may sound crazy or unconventional, Iyanla Vanzant in one of her speeches advises us never to doubt our inspiration. I think the best thing to do is to write the book, polish it properly and follow your gut on when to send it out.

4. ON QUITTING YOUR SIDE JOB :

“Being the most talented writer doesn’t necessarily guarantee you a financially successful writer, and you have to be okay with it,” Cinque said as a response to me feeling overqualified and unchallenged by my current day job and contemplating quitting.

To a young writer, don’t rush to quit your stable paycheck job just yet, except you spiritually cannot stand it anymore. Be grateful for the opportunity and keep writing until the latter is able to pay you fully. It may also never be the case, and that’s alright.  Of course, the financial blessings may come, and your career may provide you enough money to buy a whole island, but until then, do the writing and focus mostly on the craft, and the accolades will come if/ when they arrive.

    I adjusted the wrinkles on my full skirt and giggled effervescently when Cinque told me about the father of “free verse,”  Waltz Whitman, one of the greatest American poets who worked as a federal clerk during the civil war, while writing some of his most exceptional work.   Funny enough, at the time this article is being published, I did quit my job. Don’t judge me.

Walter Whitman

5. I AM WORKING ON FOUR DIFFERENT WRITING PROJECTS. WHICH ONE SHOULD I FOCUS ON   ?

We artists when connected sometimes suffer from OVER- Inspiration. We may want to write or create several projects at a time. However, it’s in our best interest to Focus, and choose the one with the highest possible creative and professional outcome.

Ask yourself these Two Questions:

“What is the most likely to sell now?”

“ which of these four projects would be the most meaningful IMMEDIATELY to my career?

💁🏾‍♀️ Finish ONE project and take up the other. ( I Did Find a Solution for this problem. I’ll discuss later on this  Blog) ( ✍🏽 Stay Tuned)

6. I ALWAYS GET IN MY OWN WAY. HOW CAN I OVERCOME MY NEED FOR PERFECTION   :

Cinque didn’t scratch his head to spit his answer out. “That’s all you,” he said, and we both laughed. We artists have small faux-pas that we use to self-sabotage, and it’s our job to discipline ourselves and just STOP. No one can do that for you. Mine is an obsession with over-perfection. In the last few months, I have followed Nike’s slogan, and just begun to “ just do it,” instead of over-thinking. I have been able to pitch for the first time, three weeks to Fox, and this week to three national magazines. By year end, I’ll be submitting to agents. Whether or not they think I’m better than goat cheese, I have overcome a big fear and hope you find the strength to do so too.

7. SOME IMPORTANT WRITER QUESTIONS TO ASK MYSELF  ?

After we finished dinner, and the server had brought the bill, and as I jotted down the last scraps of conversation, Cinque advised me to use these last three months of the year 2018, (while writing,) to think about how I want to be perceived as a scholar and a writer.

Find the answer to this question:

“How do I want the publishing world to see me?”

He also recommended I read “The Given and The Made” ($6.22 On Amazon) By Helen Vendler. While she has a ton of academic books, he particularly loved this one. Have you read it? Let us know in the Comments. 

If you haven’t already done so, you can purchase Cinque Henderson's advanced copybook  “ Sit Down and Shut Up: How Discipline Can Set Students Free" on Amazon for $15. ✉️  I just ordered mine 🙏🏾  While You’re at it, reward yourself with his beautiful piece on Mother Aretha Franklin ( R.I.P.) I will update this article to include a book review after I finish reading the book.

Available on Amazon. Buy it Here.

Do follow Cinque on Twitter and Instagram. If any of his messages spoke to you, let us know in the comments. You can also Tweet me to let me know you read this interview and share the link with your followers.

If you’re excited, tweet this now:

I enjoyed your @jesuiscinque 7 tips for #newwriters on

@sahndrafondufe’s blog #writertabletalk you can read it here:

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I dare you to live up to your potential and always choose kindness. :)

Xoxo-

Sahndra Fon Dufe, Author- Yefon: The Red Necklace.

Please and Blessings to you all-  Good morning :)🌙😘

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