So it's jumping the gun a bit, but I'm stalled on the edits for a moment. But I had a full out to an agent, who's main issue with the work was the believability of the character. She thought the writing was strong, loved the plot and the way I kept tension throughout the story, but Dylan didn't "come alive" to her. Rightly so. Importantly, she didn't offer to read after I edited, or suggest I keep her in mind for anything in the future. The cynical part of me suggests it was a way to let me down easy, but I dunno.
It took a few months, and a lot of work on the WIP, but I realized the difference in my characters. In the first book, the story is solid (I think), but there's no character arc. Dylan ended the same way he began, with very little changed. The agent had made a solid point, and if I'd realized it a bit sooner, I might have spent more time ripping through another series of edits on Novel #1. In contrast, with novel #2, there's a much clearer character arc. For most of the characters, but particularly the MC.
At some point, I hope to start querying for novel #2. And I'd like to submit to that agent again. So long story short, I'm wondering if I should mention that she'd requested and read other work by me? Is that something you mention, or is it as bad as saying 'Bob the Agent at Cool Writers, Inc requested this and rejected me, but I'm sure you'll be a better fit.' Or something. ;)
What's the thought?
