How to Write and Publish Children's Books
I’m reading this great book called HOOKED by Les Edgerton, out from Writer’s Digest Books. It is awesome. Not only does Les have a great teacher’s voice, he gets into the nitty gritty of just why beginnings are so important, and then tells his readers how to nail this crucial part of their novels (he …
Continue reading “The All-Important Beginning and a Call for Submissions”
A very interesting conversation about writing young adult fiction happened in one of my workshop groups during this past weekend’s Big Sur conference. One participant had painted a character very vividly in his particular high school environment, to the point where everyone in the group knew exactly where this character belonged on the social ladder. …
Continue reading “Writing Young Adult Fiction: the High School Hierarchy”
From now until forever, I am going to refer writers who ask me query questions to this quote. It comes from Andrea Brown, my brilliant boss and mentor, and it’s about query letters: A query letter is like the perfect skirt: long enough to cover everything but short enough to be exciting. I have worked …
I promise not to get all weepy and new-age-y on you — I am Tough Agent Lady! (Some of the time…) — but there’s this amazing photographer called Meg Perotti who works in the SF Bay Area and she posted a wonderful, inspiring image on her blog to ring in the New Year. (MK trivia …
Melissa asks a great question about a writer’s conference checklist: I’d like to attend the January SCBWI conference–my first. Could you maybe post about what a first-timer should bring/be prepared for to get the most out of the experience? Let’s say the writer has a completed book (that has been beta-critiqued) but has not queried …
Can you believe Thanksgiving is upon us?! I certainly can’t. My mind is still halfway in sticky NYC August or cool, colorful September. What are these boots and jackets? What is this Christmas music piping into the coffee shop? Why are stores opening at 3 a.m. this Friday (!!!) to entice shoppers with big bargains? …
Should I get an MFA in writing for children? The age-old question! I have been meaning to tackle creative writing MFA programs for longer than I’ve had the blog. Tons of writers have asked me: is it worth it to get an MFA? Does that catch your eye in a query? Is the actual curriculum …
Sign up for my email list so that I can occasionally send you news and updates. I’ll primarily use my list to keep readers up-to-date about upcoming events and workshops. Yes, a mailing list is a little less personal, but I want to be able to reach out to as many kidlit fans as I …
Writing is hard and intensely personal, which is why writers have a habit of taking criticism — any criticism — to heart. There’s a funny side effect of being an agent who blogs. On more occasions than I care to mention, I’ve gotten emails from my clients after a post, asking if the post was about …
Want to know how to become a bestselling author? Let’s dig into to this question via a cheeky little bugger wrote into the blog: So, is anyone ever able to quit their day job after selling their first MG or chapter book? I need a writing reality check. How to Become a Bestselling Author: Keep …