I’m excited to finally write the following words: I finally finished my latest draft of Veritas!
I’ve been working on this draft since this time last year, and I’m so excited to say that I’m done. Or at least… done for now. A manuscript is never completely finished until it’s published. But I’m feeling optimistic about this draft. I know I said that in my previous update, but it just keeps getting better with each revision, and I’m at the point of being excited about it again, which if you’ve been following along, is HUGE.
So what now? What’s next?
As I’m typing this, my immediate next steps are to send this draft to a handful of friends to read and provide feedback on. Since there were some significant plot changes, I also need to rework my query letter and synopsis. But these query package elements are what will make agents (hopefully) want to read more, so I want to make sure they are in good shape.
Once the query package is complete (and reviewed by my critique group), I’m going to start submitting to agents again. My Instagram algorithm has been helpfully suggesting literary agents, and they actually look like they might be good fits. (Plus they keep posting lots of resources to help authors with querying, which is wonderful timing.) Speaking of Instagram… You don’t need an online presence to sell books, but it’s definitely helpful. So I’m also going to brainstorm social media strategies and seriously consider starting some author-specific social media accounts and what that would look like.
Back when I started documenting this process in 2024, I felt really positive about writing and where I was at in this process. 2025 was tough. I had to take my novel apart and put it back together. But in a way that when reading, it felt seamless. That whole process was hard, and made me doubt myself. However, I’m back to that 2024 feeling of excitement. My passion for this project has come back in full force.
Often, I’ve heard the saying, “Write the book you’d want to read,” and I’ve discovered that one reason is because you have to read your book. Over and over and over. Then read it again. And one more time for good measure. On my last full read through, I found myself thinking, “This is something I would be proud to self publish.” I’m still very much pursuing traditional publishing, but if that doesn’t work out, this version of Veritas would be one that I would publish just for me. Plus any of you who wanted to read it, of course.
And that feels like I’m on the right track.
Britnie Jenkins 