I hate waiting

Ugh--this is the part that's difficult for me, the waiting for an answer from an agent. It's nerve-wracking and I am trying so hard not to get my hopes up. I haven't revealed that the work is at the agent to ANYONE except for my immediate family members and one friend.
I haven't told any of my writing colleagues (unless those who've possibly read this blog), and I haven't told my writing group. I am too scared and too aware of the possiblity of what it would feel like to have to go and tell a million people that I didn't get an offer of representation. Plus, the very fact that they wanted to see it is a little jewel I just want for myself (though, of course, I share it with the readers of this blog).

In the meantime, I am purging my manuscript of words I use too frequently in the story :"then" is a real culprit, as well as "always" and "still." I am mortified to see how much of this went into the first 100 pages I sent to the agent. I am also weeding out little problems in my chapter outline. It is embarrassing as hell. There are times I wish I'd stuck with poetry. I realize the agent is not an English professor, but JEEZ! Ah, well, progress and not perfection, eh?

Back to work.