Ten Tips for Losing a Hundred Pages
Writers think about word counts the way dieters think about calories. By the time I finished my YA novel, Half in Love with Death, I’d reduced it from 97,000 to 90,000 words, and I thought it was pretty slim and…
Category: Agents
How I Survived My First Week on Submission – Despite my Family’s Attempts to Support Me
Any writer who has had a book on submission knows the stomach-twisting anxiety. Why hasn’t anyone called? Where is my six-figure deal and my auction? Ha! More likely, you will be greeted with crickets. Weeks, maybe months, of crickets. I’m…
The Novel Pitcher’s Playbook
Baseball pitchers rarely rely on a single pitch. They mix things up with fast balls, changeups, curve balls, knuckle balls, sliders, sinkers, and cutters. They consider who they are pitching to, how many strikes they have, how many outs, how…
No, Your Imposter Syndrome Won’t Magically Go Away
I was sitting on a bare mattress thinking about Oreos when the call came in. “Oh hai,” the agent dude said. “I’d like to represent you.” “Cool,” I said back. “Thanks for that.” And then we pretty much hung up…
So You’re Meeting a Literary Agent. Now What?
There is nothing I detest more than tooting my own horn. Blame it on my ancestors, who would rather die than be caught being so jack-all-full-of-yourself as to sit down across from an agent to sell your work. The work, I…
Why it’s so difficult to pitch perfect
Think of your favorite movie. Perhaps it is hard for you to narrow down the list. But chances are when you try to think of the best film you’ve ever seen in your life, a few things happen. You remember…