Writing a Manuscript Helped Me Move Across the World
Courage can come from unexpected places.
It all started with a “like” on Twitter, on a day when those mattered.
Every so often on Twitter, there’s an event called #Pitmad, where unrepresented writers can pitch their stories to agencies and publishing houses. If one of those people gives your tweet a “like,” then you can send them your pitch and the first three chapters of the proposed book.
I was working on a sci-fi story at the time, so I pitched that one first. However, another story was also coming together in my head, and I took a shot and tweeted it out as well. Out of the tweets that I wrote for two stories, the smaller one got the coveted “like.”
That happened sometime in December of 2018. I began another dream during that time, one far bigger than anything I’d ever done until that point- moving across the world to Israel. It was nothing but a pipe dream at the time, but it had been an idea of mine since I graduated from college.
The plan was to get a job and build some experience, then move. Unfortunately, initially, the first part hadn’t happened, and I was still working part-time for some companies. I had just lost a client, so it makes sense that I was still in bed at 9 am on a Tuesday when my parents were already at work, and I was looking through Twitter.
I pitched the first thing that came to mind for the story I was cooking up: “What if the girls from BLING RING got the power of flight?” This wasn’t at all what the story became, but that’s what it was at the time- a couple of restless girls in a wealthy family become embroiled in the criminal world when they stumble across a jetpack.
Then it got a “like,” and it hit me like a sack of bricks; the story didn’t exist yet. I’d have to write three chapters of a story that don’t exist to get an agent interested in representing my book. This wasn’t a game anymore. I’d have to make a full book out of an idea.
I immediately wrote the first three chapters for Jetpack Angel in the span of a week. It wasn’t hard since I felt the arms of time pulling me into a chokehold. They were finished inevitably, and I almost made the biggest mistake of my life by sending them to the Agent without even thinking. Thankfully, saner minds prevailed.
I contacted Jennifer Rees, a fantastic editor, to help me work out the details. She helped me fix the first three chapters and find the main character’s voice. We found a nervous, introverted, Irish girl with an innate desire to be noticed by more than just her mom, her best friend, and overactive, rebellious older sister. This girl, whom I named Caitlin, would become a friend of sorts as I slowly progressed to finishing my second novel and on my journey overseas.
I sent over the edited chapters to the agent, with Jennifer’s immeasurable help, and they responded three days later: they wanted to see the full manuscript. I gulped, and Caitlin broke into a sweat. We had to finish her story as soon as pronto, to avoid getting forgotten. See, it’s a rule in pitmad that all works pitched should be ready to go. Mine didn’t even exist when I pitched it, so it was back to work.
What happened next was akin to euphoria, the closest I’ve been to a nirvana. I’d start writing at 8 p.m., when my family’s nagging would die down and when job applications would fall on deaf ears, where deadlines didn’t exist, and the world would start getting quiet. By 1 a.m., I wrote faster than my mind could think.
The world shut up so I could finally write out loud.
For a time, in a world where I felt like a piece of kelp being pushed around on the water, I roared like the ocean. I wrote thousands of words a night, painting Caitlin’s environment in a paintbrush. Her world of New Amsterdam swept me away, and she pulled off crazy stunts to save her sister. Those nights were unforgettably spectacular and some of the greatest of my life.
When I finished the first draft of Jetpack Angel in March of 2019, I felt powerful. Even though the agent didn’t like the manuscript, I had a story in my hands. Caitlin’s story told of courage, taking the leap, and going above and beyond what she believed was possible. So, I thought, why couldn’t I do the same?
After losing another client, I decided to take Caitlin’s crazy advice and finish the paperwork necessary for moving to Israel. I got accepted and booked my ticket soon afterward, for a July flight. Caitlin hopped on the plane with me.
While I was getting used to the culture and atmosphere, I finished the second and third drafts. Once you finish a story, it’s never really “finished,” you know?
The book is still being edited in draft 5. After another beta-read phase, I plan to pitch it to agencies. I honestly hope it gets to fly as far as I have. Jetpack Angel has gotten me through so much. No matter what happens, I’m glad I found the courage to take such a crazy chance to write and let it sweep me away.