As I began writing my query letter for my novel, I became quite attuned to the problem of crafting an identity through media. In my case, it was creating an identity for my work, representing it in such a way that it would be attractive to an agent or publisher. But fabricating such identities is something we do every day in other forms, particularly in social media. Certain elements of your Facebook profile may find their way there of their own accord, but for the most part you put them there. You control this identity.

Such control, at least for me, is frightening. In our daily lives much of our identity is determined by what we do, and this holds true in media as well… to a certain extent. Most of the identity-crafting techniques we use on a daily basis are unconscious. A constant stream of subtle social cues critique these techniques, creating a continuing reshaping. But in social media, and in representations like query letters and cover letters, there is only so much space to work with, and expectations that you will represent yourself in an attractive way. While real-life social interactions do allow for a degree of self-representation, it is nearly impossible to completely fabricate a sense of self in person. Through media, however, you have the option to ignore the truth completely. I could have written in my cover letter that I wrote a 7,000 page novel, or that I had a degree from Harvard Law School; the same is true for a Facebook profile, where your profile and cover photos do not even have to be of you. They just have to be of who you want others to think you are.

Going back to my query letter, the whole endeavor feels so contrived. How can I do justice to something I spent so much time on in one page? The representation of something can never live up to the thing itself. The scariest part is that I am in control of how, in a space of about 200 words, a work that is 120,000 words will be judged. It’s a little like writing a college essay – how can I represent myself in one essay? The answer is that you can never truly do justice to who you are through media. The only way to gain a real understanding of identity is through personal interaction. The same goes for my work.

-epn