the book stack: leads
One of my goals this summer was to revise and resubmit my query for a young adult novel. Part of the process has been to rewrite my lead again. (What’s… Read more the book stack: leads →
hacking
Not cutting. Not pruning. Not deleting. Hacking. It is brutal. And it is essential to the life of a writer. I’m not sure I’ve truly understood this before this month. I’ve always known cutting as a viable revision option. It’s one I’ve used for years. It’s never hurt before. Maybe that’s because I haven’t done it right. Recently I revised the beginning of my first novel by hacking. Since I’ve lost track of the number of times I’ve revised the lead (although I’m sure it is over a trillion), it’s… Read more hacking →
the hardest revision ever
Cutting and piecing and sweating… Recently someone offered to read my first YA novel, Strength, along with the query letter, and offer me feedback. She didn’t offer once, but a… Read more the hardest revision ever →
(discover.play.build.) images
Kristina McBride shared in her presentation that she often turns to iStockPhoto for inspiration. A few nights ago I played a little with the site. It has a nice search… Read more (discover.play.build.) images →
talking about YA
me, Kristina McBride, & Ruth Metcalfe Tonight (after listening to Gordon Korman speak after the All-Write Summer Institute Dinner + Author event) I hung out with Ruth Metcalfe and Kristina… Read more talking about YA →
query letters? query letters. query letters!
So if I want to pursue an agent, I need to write a query letter. It’s actually been on my radar for awhile, but I’ve not attempted to put words on the page. This past week I’ve gotten a little more serious about it. I read through the links I’ve collected over the past year and even attempted a synopsis of the story. I’m trying not to let it scare me. Just for eventual shock and awe value (after I revise this a million times), here is the very first,… Read more query letters? query letters. query letters! →