I have a love-hate relationship with word counts. (Just look at the word count of this post!) On one hand, word count guidelines offer a concrete metric in an industry that often seems to rely solely on personal taste, timing, and luck. It’s helpful for authors to know that most traditionally published picture books are […]

Recently I was a guest on Alvina Ling and Grace Lin’s Book Friends Forever podcast to talk about freelance editing along with fellow freelance editor Sangeeta Mehta. Toward the end, Grace asked about giving manuscript critiques to friends, and Sangeeta mentioned the three point method for sharing feedback: Identify a problem Explain why it’s a […]

“You’re too old to read books from this section.” “These are for little kids!” “You should be choosing longer books by now.” “Haven’t you outgrown those?” Whether or not you’ve heard these statements from well-meaning adults (or rule-following kids), you probably already know the books they’re referring to: picture books, graphic novels, comics, and other […]

A week ago, I came across a quote by Louise Glück on social media: “We look at the world once, in childhood. The rest is memory.” These are the last two lines of her poem, “Nostos.” As with many quotations I read online, I inwardly nodded and thought, “Sounds right,” before scrolling on. I’m pretty […]

Recently I’ve been thinking about my grandma’s bathtub. It was solid green, with a smooth surface that I loved sliding across to play tidal wave. I know I splashed water over the side often, but I don’t remember my grandma ever getting upset about it. There was a small window in the wall above the […]

Q: I’m working on a nonfiction manuscript. Do you have any recommended resources for nonfiction authors? A: My primary area of expertise is fiction, so I turned to one of my editor friends, Heidi Fiedler, to help answer this question. Heidi is a writer and editor who has worked on more than 300 books, many of […]

Today’s letter answers an author-submitted question about social media. And elsewhere on the internet, the excellent Sara Zarr invited me to contribute to one of her equally excellent This Creative Life newsletters. Check out How to Read an Editorial Letter for Sara’s approach to editorial letters as an author, as well as my thoughts from […]

Since the first two posts on January 5th, 2022, this marks 52 straight weeks (and over 40,000 words!) of Your Editor Friend letters.  I’ve touched on a broad range of writing and publishing topics over the past year, from evaluating feedback to approaching goals with curiosity to the submissions process to the different types of editing. No matter how long you’ve been reading, I hope that […]

This week, Jane Friedman shared this Q&A about developmental editing on her website. The interview was written by Sangeeta Mehta and shares advice from Sangeeta, me, and Susan Chang. If you or someone you know is thinking of hiring a developmental editor, I hope you’ll find it helpful! In that interview, we touched briefly on how authors can strengthen their […]

Since I was a kid, I’ve hated the idea of being forced to choose favorites. I’ve almost always stubbornly insisted on multiple favorite colors, foods, movies, music, and especially books. It’s not (merely) that I’m indecisive; it’s that I find it impossible to choose a blanket favorite without considering the context. Am I choosing a […]

Today’s letter answers an author-submitted question: Q: I recently received feedback from an agent telling me from reading the first 10 pages of my middle grade MS., she was unable to figure out what the plot was and suggested I bring that in and make it clear right away. My question is, how do you do […]

Today I’m sharing a simple novel revision tool that an author recently recommended to me: grading your chapters. This approach can be especially helpful if you feel overwhelmed by a revision; if you’re not sure where to start revising; or if you’re looking to ease yourself back into your story and characters before diving in. […]

“Show, Don’t Tell” is one of the most common pieces of writing advice, and for good reason. Writers have a tendency to lean on descriptive statements, or “telling,” particularly in early drafts. When you’re starting a manuscript, it can be easier and faster to describe the broad strokes of a scene, such as, “She felt […]

Today’s letter answers a question I received from an author: Q: What are your thoughts about working on multiple projects simultaneously, either as an editor or as a writer? I always feel drawn to write two things at the same time, and then feel like I shouldn’t, and then wonder how I would make it work […]

If you’re on social media, you may already be familiar with Dr. Becky Kennedy, a clinical psychologist known for her engaging posts about common parenting struggles. After the publication of Dr. Becky’s book, Good Inside, I read an interview she did with reporter Elizabeth Holmes, and was struck by one piece of advice in particular.  While talking about […]

During one of the first weeks of school,  my daughter came home from first grade with this paper in her backpack: I was thrilled to see her teachers reinforcing a belief we’ve been working on instilling at home: that even though there are a lot of things she can do now that she’s older, some things […]

If you’re currently writing or revising a manuscript, you’ve probably found yourself looking forward to the day when you reach the final page for the last time. Maybe you’ve pictured yourself typing “THE END” or labeling your manuscript file as “FINAL” (or perhaps some variation of “Manuscript_final_NEWfinal_REALfinal _FINALfinal_THISONEISFINAL”). But no matter how many times you […]

Last week, I outlined the three essentials of helpful feedback. Today’s letter discusses another important aspect of receiving feedback on your writing: how to avoid the proverbial problem of too many cooks in the kitchen. While thoughtful, well-timed feedback from multiple trusted sources may seem like a good problem to have, the subjective nature of writing […]

Many writers find that the more they share and talk about their work, the more feedback they receive. In addition to editors and agents, family members, friends, writing groups, and critique partners can all provide valuable feedback on a manuscript draft. However, not all feedback is helpful, and too much feedback—particularly in the early and […]

While no two publishing journeys are identical, one constant I’ve heard from countless writers and illustrators is the value of finding your creative community. We all know that writing and illustrating are solitary activities, and that the creative life can often feel lonely. At the same time, it can be hard for those outside of […]