Some of the most frequent questions I hear from authors are about submitting their work to agents and publishers, and understandably so. After the writing process, which is largely within an author’s control, the submissions process can feel particularly opaque, outdated, and slow. If you’ve decided to pursue traditional publishing, this series of letters will […]
The Submissions Process: What & When to Submit Read Post »
One of the first business decisions authors make is deciding whether to pursue traditional publishing or self-publishing. Authors who choose traditional publishing typically begin by researching literary agents and publishers; authors who choose self-publishing typically begin by researching self-publishing services and platforms. Today’s letter discusses some factors to consider when choosing a publishing path for a
Choosing a Path: Traditional Publishing or Self-Publishing? Read Post »
After you’ve identified potential causes of your writer’s block, you can try other ideas for working through it. Perfectionism If you’re spending most of your writing sessions revising partial drafts instead of writing new material, try setting a timer each time you sit down to write. Pick a relatively short amount of time—maybe 10 minutes—that you’ll use
Overcoming Your Writer’s Block Read Post »
No matter how hard you work, how talented you are, or how much success you experience, it’s virtually impossible to avoid struggling with writer’s block during the creative process. For me, the first step in moving forward is to try to remember just how universal writer’s block is, rather than subconsciously viewing it as some
Self-Diagnosing Your Writer’s Block Read Post »
There are countless reasons why writing and revising can be challenging. But if you find yourself hesitating to dive in or second-guessing your decisions, the real culprit might be fear. One way fear intrudes is to tempt authors to save plot points for another story. This struggle often stems from a fear of running out
Fear and the Creative Process Read Post »
In addition to the areas I shared in the last two letters on character development, a third way to strengthen your protagonist is to consider the other characters in their story. First, let’s focus on the antagonist. Depending on your story, the antagonist might be a person, an explicit challenge or contest, or a more
Character Development: Antagonists & Secondary Characters Read Post »
Last week’s letter discussed passive protagonists. This week, I want to unpack two other ways to give protagonists agency within their stories: considering how they learn critical information and who makes the majority of the decisions in their story. Think about scenes in which your protagonist is looking for answers or direction. Do others tend to give
Character Development: Learning Information & Making Decisions Read Post »
Character development is one of my favorite topics to talk about with writers. Great characters can make a permanent imprint on their readers, from protagonists like Anne Shirley, Charlotte Doyle, or Lyra Belacqua to antagonists like Josie Pye, Captain Jaggery, or Mrs. Coulter. In my next few letters, I’ll be touching on different areas of character
Character Development: Passive Protagonists Read Post »
This series on beginnings, middles, and endings was partially inspired by an article I wrote about endings for the Highlighter (the SCBWI Mid-Atlantic journal) a couple of years ago. Since I (fortunately!) still agree with what I wrote then, I decided to revisit my thoughts about some common ending pitfalls for this series as well. When the
Common Revision Areas: Satisfying Endings Read Post »
After you’ve made it past the opening and have your core story pieces in place, writing the middle of a book can sometimes feel like a slog. In response, you might subconsciously start rushing your characters toward the ending. Or, if you’re worried about how you’re going to fill the remaining pages, you might find
Common Revision Areas: Meandering Middles Read Post »
