[PubQ] Revising with an agent...is it supposed to feel this impossible?
Hello! Long time lurker, first time poster. I got in agent in May (wahoo) for my debut novel and I'm now on my second round of revisions. It's....very challenging. I feel like the agent's feedback broke all the chains of cause and effect, and now I can't figure out what any character wants or why anything happens. Every scene I try to write has five different things wrong with it. I don't feel any connection to the characters or story. Creative cup is 100% drained. Mental health tanks every time I open the word doc. (Yes, I'm seeing a therapist).
I've asked my agent for clarification on revisions. All her feedback makes sense in the edit letter and when we speak, but when I try to write...it's just not happening. I can't figure out how much of this is my own burn-out vs. her feedback not vibing with my vision of the story. The usual advice seems to be "slow down, take your time, work on other projects" but if I'm going to fail with this novel I want to know that sooner rather than later so I can stop torturing myself. I want it to be done soooo badly. She tells me her feedback is just a starting point, that it's my story, but a) I trust she knows the market and what will sell, and b) when I've gone with my gut instead of her feedback, she hasn't liked those edits.
Do I tell my agent I'm burnt out and mentally decaying? I feel that's not her responsibility to fix and I'm worried it would be inappropriate. I guess I just need to push forward on my own and figure it out, but I truly can't see a world in which this draft is ever finished. I spend so much time wishing I'd never started writing in the first place, because I hate this novel so much and frankly kinda hate myself every second I'm working on it. My agent (for some reason) has confidence in me and the novel and keeps saying I'm not in a hole with it, but I absolutely am. I appreciate any insight, ideas, stories of similar situations. How do I finish this stupid draft? Thank you.
Posted Nov 10, 2025, 12:15 PM UTC