The Wave of the Future?

Rachelle Gardner announced that her agency is testing out a new query policy of closing the doors to anyone who is not a previously published author, a referral, or a close connection.  This policy covers the first quarter of the year--after that, they will see.  But I doubt they will be going back to their open query policy.  In this publishing economy who blames them?  But is this the wave of the future for most established agencies?  Accepting only the sure thing?  And is it a sign of agency distress or success?

If so, it only makes me more determined to become a self-published success.  

Thinking with the Heart

The ancient Egyptians believed the heart was the source of both thoughts and feelings, unlike in our times where our heart symbolizes the seat of our emotions and our brain the seat of our reason.  In our world, thoughts and feelings are often in conflict with each other.  In the Egyptian world, they must have lived in harmony.  That is what I want for my life.  Harmony of mind and heart.  Passion and reason.  And I believe I can accomplish that through a career of writing.

But to achieve that harmony of reason and passion, work and happiness, mind and heart, I have to start small.  I have to treat it as a career of its own, and it takes time to learn the ways of the job.  Toward that end, I must become more conscious of what reason wants from a writing career and what my passion wants from it, and then I must devise a goal to satisfy both.  But the first step is introspection.  Readers, I encourage you to do the same.  Find out what you need and want, and this way, you begin thinking with your Egyptian heart.