As a writer, I sometimes worry so much about pleasing the marketplace that I become afraid to try new things and lose faith in that little voice that is my muse. This past weekend at Grub Street’s Muse and the Marketplace writing conference, I got a much needed shot of creative courage and inspiration.

From Colum McCann’s passionate plea that writers must write what they DON’T know to know themselves, to Alexander Chee’s advice for writers of historical fiction about doing research at night so “it will soak through your dreams,” it was a weekend full of words that re-energized my commitment to writing. It was also full of much-needed marketplace tips for turning what the muse gives you into a publishing deal. And the entire experience was spent in the delightful company of writers at all stages of their journeys. For this week’s YA Wednesday I’ve gathered some links that I hope will demystify the writing process and inspire you.

• I often long for some magical solution that will turn me into someone who can churn out a novel in months instead of years. In How I Went From Writing 2,000 Words a Day to 10,000 Words a Day, Rachel Aaron gives a step-by-step guide to doing just that without magical powers.
• Hindsight is everything. Here are 14 Things I Wish I Knew Before I Became a YA Author.
• Sometimes the muse and the marketplace collide. In Stay True to Yourself and Your Project, YA author, Adam Silvera, talks about the pressures he faced from potential publishers to change his novel, More Happy Than Not, in unacceptable ways.
• In The case for young adult literature, Hannah Niemeier argues that the best YA novels don’t just give us dragons. They show us how to slay them.
• Speaking of dragons, here is YA Fiction for Fans of Game of Thrones.