Hello friends! I’ve been busy with a million things that aren’t writing, including installing shoe molding, sewing (hot glueing?) DIY mosquito curtains for our patio, and trying to survive the hectic last month of school for my kids. I also gave my PitchWars book the brutal revision it probably needed months ago, chopping roughly 6000…
Category: Updates
Edit Letters
We’re talking feedback today. Those daunting, extensive edit letters that usually start with praise, then dive into everything that isn’t working in your story. In the past I’ve said good feeback usually stings– the knee-jerk pain is your brain fighting the realization that the criticism is valid (ouch.) And for me, it generally comes with…
Author Mentor Match, Round 4
I couldn’t be happier to share that I’ve been chosen as a Round 4 Mentee for the wonderful Author Mentor Match program! My mentor’s name is Jamie Krakover and she’s a real live rocket scientist! Jamie is represented by the lovely Kira Watson at the Emma Sweeney agency and you can check out Jamie’s website…
#AMMConnect
Hi, I’m Emily, and I’m a glutton for writing mentorship programs. I can’t help it. I love writing, I love talking about writing, I love brainstorming with other people, I love developing my craft, I love writing friends and I looooooove revising. MY WIP Working Title: PARCHED Genre: YA Science Fiction Length: 75k (ish. I…
Motivation
Okay, let’s talk about staying motivated while working on creative endeavors. It’s…. a challenge, isn’t it? As a psychology student and then a teacher, I learned a lot about motivation. The types of motivation, how to motivate students, what decreases motivation, etc. I’m also a mom, and I spend way too many hours a day…
Act 2
Most stories can be divided into Acts. Some swear by a 3-act structure, others by 4, but regardless of how you break down a movie or book, Act 1 is an introduction to the characters, the world, and the problem, and Act 2 is when the hero gets into the action. Act 2 is where…
The world is a dumpster fire-Don’t you want happy stories?
I keep hearing that consumers want “lighter fare” and escapism in their media. The world is a mess, people say, so people crave stories that take them to a happier place. And yet, dystopian and dark fantasy continue to do really well, and many of the top television shows, movies, and books right now take…
Space
PitchWars 2017 has come to a close, NaNoWriMo wrapped up a few days ago, and many agents are closing their submissions inboxes until January. For me, this means a bit of blessed silence. I’m not sending out any more queries until January and I’m putting my NaNoWriMo draft away for a few weeks to mentally…
On the Cusp
It’s hard to describe my jumble of emotions leading up to the agent showcase for PitchWars. The most apt comparison I can come up with goes something like this: Imagine you’re a senior in high school and it’s a week before prom. You spot your crush walking across the cafeteria right toward you. He may…
And it’s done
My PitchWars entry is officially submitted! Meanwhile, my full manuscript is in the hands of my favorite editor (my mom) for proofreading, which means I…. have nothing to do. I should just relax. But I’m not good at that. Next week I’ll start NaNoWriMo (yes, husband, “again.”) with my YA fantasy dragon book which has…