Saying Good-Bye to My Literary Agent
Last week I said good-bye to my agent. I signed with her in spring 2022. It was such a thrill. My first agent!
When Do You Quit? When Do You Persevere?
One of my reasons for persevering in this difficult business is that I want to give kid readers a wonderful reading experience. It’s a way of paying it forward.
When Slow Is Good
But now, moving slowly and strategically through the story to revise Shadow scenes, I’ve discovered that a number of these walk-on characters can either be cut altogether, or I can give their dialogue to Shadow instead.
A Challenging Year with My Agent
In April 2022 I signed a contract with a literary agent. It was thrilling!
Since her offer of representation happened quickly, I expected other things to happen quickly too. In particular, I expected to get some notes from her on the manuscript so I could revise and then we could go out on submission.
But that didn’t happen.
Planning a Book Doesn’t Mean Figuring Out Every Last Detail in Advance
I used to be a “pantser.” I liked discovering my story as I wrote it. It felt free and creative that way. At the same time, I was leery of the plotting/outlining approach. I thought if I planned my story in advance, I’d snuff out the creative spark.
Shiny Object Syndrome: When Distractions Try to Derail Your Progress
You’re writing along, making excellent progress on your draft or your revision, and then wham!
You get the most stunning idea for a novel! It demands your attention. It keeps you from falling asleep at night. It dances around in front of you when you’re trying to work on your current work-in-progress.
This is shiny object syndrome.
The Challenge of Compare and Despair
Until a few weeks ago, I’d never heard the phrase “compare and despair.” But I’ve certainly done my share of comparing myself to others and then despairing about how little I’ve accomplished. What an awful trap to fall into. It can be hard to pull ourselves out of it. I try to remind myself that life isn’t a competition. Neither is writing.
How to Remind Yourself of Your Next Writing Steps
Whether you’re in the middle of writing your first draft or revising your seventh, remembering what you were thinking the last time you worked on your MG or YA novel can be challenging.
How to Organize Your Writing Files So You Can Find What You Need
As writers, we produce a lot of words and a lot of computer files. It’s easy to get buried by both. So I have a few tips.
A Story of Perseverance
Writing a novel is also full of obstacles and challenges. It is work. Just like recovering my athletic ability is work. We don’t need inspiration to get our work done. We just need to show up.