rezendi‘s advice to writers over here was just what I needed to end a rather long week. Now I shall plunge into my weekend reading of proposals and manuscripts with renewed zeal. Yep, that’s what I’ll do.
This is my favorite bit:
Don’t be professional. Don’t understand that it’s a business. Query agents who don’t accept queries; send manuscripts to those who want queries first. Phone them. Repeatedly. Send humble, self-effacing query letters in which you all but cringe before their all-powerful might. Or tell them that you have a guaranteed NYT bestseller. Be mystified by the way in which all your friends and acquaintances love your writing, while the publishing Powers That Be keep rejecting it, and tell yourself that it’s all an incestuous sucker game and you have to know someone to break in. Don’t understand that when the general population reads something, they’re looking for reasons to like it, whereas when an agent or publisher reads a submission from a no-name, they are looking for a reason to reject it, and it’s your job to prevent them from seeing any such reason.
Et in arcaedia, ego. 
I enjoyed that essay as well. It’s always nice for an unpublished writer to continue reading these gems of advice when preparing to send out her first proposal package. It definitely helps me keep my sense of humor and perspective in place. *grin* It also makes me smug that at least I’ve put in the effort of researching enough to have a headstart on the majority of my slushie peers!