[New England folks: I'll be reading and signing books at the Cambridge Public Library this Saturday, January 28th, at 2pm. I hope to see you there!] Today we continue the “Series Series” with a guest post from the amazing Jennifer Nielsen, who shares her secrets to juggling multiple series. In the spring of 2009, my [...]
Today’s guest post comes from writer and blogger extraordinaire, Lydia Sharp: “Hello. My name is Lydia. And I write fiction for teens.” I’m very open about it now, but there was a time when I thought saying those words meant I had either sold myself out, or that my writing skills had taken a step [...]
Today’s guest post on using luck and superstitions in your writing comes from lovely YA author, Dawn Metcalf: It’s Friday the 13th. Bad luck It’s also bad luck if you break a mirror, spill salt, or step on a crack (at least to your mother’s back). On the other hand, it’s good luck to find [...]
Today’s insightful guest post comes from Kip Wilson Rechea: We all know the kind of novels prized for beautiful language as much as–or sometimes even more than–story. The kind of book that leaves striking images planted in your mind. The kind of images that make you fall in love with the novel. Frequently classified as “literary” or “lyrical,” beautifully-worded novels [...]
Today’s guest post comes from my grad. school friend, Laura Woollett, who has some great tips on how to balance writing with your day job: It’s 5 p.m. on a Wednesday. I’m tired, drained from a day of editing other people’s writing, but it’s time to meet with my critique group. I dash over to [...]
It’s time for another guest post! Here are some thoughts on inspiration from my agency-mate, Cynthia Levinson: One of my critique partners is working on a wonderful middle-grade novel about an eleven-year-old girl whose mother is a writing teacher. The girl has to attend endless receptions where the first question students ask her mother is, [...]
I’m excited to continue my series of guest posts with some tips on writing humor from one of my former students, Shoshana Flax: My novel has some booger jokes. Thing is, they’re not, I hope, gratuitous booger jokes. They’re there to show things about the characters: Who chooses to make the jokes, and about whom, [...]
I’m thrilled to kick off my series of guest posts with a tale of perseverance from children’s author Caroline Starr Rose: I’ve been writing for almost thirteen years but never consistently looked for an agent until 2009. Because an agent isn’t a necessity in the children’s market, I figured submitting to an agent was an [...]
My blogging time is going to be a bit scant in the coming weeks, so I thought this might be a good opportunity to put out the call for anyone interested in writing a guest post for my blog. As I’m sure you’ve noticed, my focus is pretty book-centric, so I’d be looking for posts [...]
Yes, it’s time for another installment of the “Letter to Myself” series in which authors write letters to their younger selves giving advice, encouragement, and words of warning. Today’s letter comes from Kate Messner, author and teacher extraordinaire, whose newest novel, Sugar and Ice, was just released last week. Dear Kate-of-senior-year-in-high-school, I’m writing this letter [...]
