Asking Only Myself
One of the most important things that I try to teach my mentees is that the only person whose opinion matters when it comes to your art is yours. Now I say this advisedly because I’ve met a lot of (mostly white, male) writers who won’t listen to any criticism and they think they areContinue reading “Asking Only Myself”
How to Think About Queries
A query is a business letter. It isn’t your application to college. It isn’t the ONE thing that’s going to make the difference between publishing your book and not publishing your book. It’s a query letter that is presenting a business proposition to a business person. Yes, it should be well-written. No, you should notContinue reading “How to Think About Queries”
Questions for Your Beta Readers:
I’m a believer in beta readers, but not in using beta readers indiscriminately. By the time you send a manuscript to beta readers, you should have a good handle on the shape of the book. I don’t think you should ask them to give you feedback on how to change the plot or characters. YouContinue reading “Questions for Your Beta Readers:”
First Pages
Sometimes writers spend months just on the first page of their manuscript. They do this because editors and agents often remind them that they stop reading after the first page, if it isn’t good enough to keep going. And truthfully, readers often do the same thing. If they don’t get grabbed by the first pageContinue reading “First Pages”
When Is It Ready?
I had a conversation recently with a mentee about when you know your manuscript is ready to be sent off to either beta readers or to be queried to editors. I’ve always had a simple rule of thumb about this: when I’m fiddling with commas, then it’s time to get some other eyes on theContinue reading “When Is It Ready?”
Brain Slowdowns
One of the things I warn my memoir clients about in particular is brain slowdowns or the sense of being constantly distracted. When you go back to events that are difficult to process, a traumatic childhood or a life-changing event, and you try to piece it back together, either just using memories or using oldContinue reading “Brain Slowdowns”
Write the Harder Book
This is apparently a controversial thing to say, but I keep saying it to potential clients. If the book you think you want to work on with me is a book you began writing 5, 10, or 20 years ago, I will rarely think this a good choice. *You* are a better writer and personContinue reading “Write the Harder Book”
The World Needs Your Book
I have never worked with a writer whose book I didn’t believe in. Maybe this is because I just believe in people and their stories. Every person I’ve met has an interesting story to tell about their life. Sure, they may not know how to tell the story in the best way or how toContinue reading “The World Needs Your Book”
Burnout
Creative burnout is real. You feel it when you try to sit down and you have nothing to say anymore. This is not the same as distraction because you will also find yourself hating other kinds of creativity. You won’t want to read books or watch TV or movies. It is a kind of depression,Continue reading “Burnout”
It’s Too Big
It can feel sometimes like a whole novel is impossible to wrap your mind around. All those scenes, all those characters, every bit of plot leading up to that single important climax. And then the idea of making it perfect, ready to sell—impossible, right? Well, you need to learn to think in small chunks. You’reContinue reading “It’s Too Big”
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