The most difficult thing I've had to do recently, besides move to a new city, is write the query letter and the synopsis. How do you condense a complicated memoir into two pages--not to mention sum it up in a paragraph in the query letter? It took at least seven rewrites to do so. Each time I chopped a little more off.
It may seem silly to worry so much, but the query letter and synopsis is likely all that most agents will ever read about my manuscript. Marketing is everything. Agents work hard to find material they can sell. Many receive hundreds of queries each month and have to dismiss quickly those they feel they cannot sell. Therefore, it is so important to not only write a timely and interesting book, but to also be able to pitch it well and quickly.
I'm beginning to realize that agent rejections only mark me as a true writer. Agents reject manuscripts for many reasons that have nothing to do with the story or quality of the writing. I just have to remember that the agent has to believe that s/he can sell the book. If you've truly written an interesting book (have it critiqued by other serious writers), if the writing is very good, if the voice is fresh--a rejection is not an indictment of the book. Keep writing and pitching.
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