As I’ve said before, I am not a plotter. I generally don’t outline my stories before I draft, and I usually write by the seat of my pants until I have a book’s worth of words in a vaguely coherent order, and until I have a vague idea of who my characters are and the…
Tag: Querying
The How I Got My Agent Post
I know some folks love and others hate these posts, but I’ve waited a long time for this, so I’m doing it. The short version: After two mentorships, a few years, and many drafted manuscripts, I was bruised and battered and I poured all my heartbreak and stubborn optimism into a new manuscript which I…
Publishing Cheat Sheet
Here is a cheat sheet for anyone who is (understandably) baffled by this strange and complicated world of publishing: TRADITIONAL PUBLISHING (vs. self-publishing or indie publishing) means selling the rights to your book to a publishing house (You’ve probably heard of the Big Five: Simon and Schuster, Penguin Random House, Harper Collins, Hatchette, and MacMillan.)…
Plotting for Pantsers: An Umbrella in a Hurricane
Hi. My name’s Emily, and I’m a pantser. Unlike many of my critique partners who plot their books chapter by chapter then write from start to finish, I’m more likely to leap on concepts like a cowboy on a bucking bronco and hold on tight for a wild ride. I tend to draft fast and…
Liminality: The Promise and the Fear of Between
I am currently between projects. This is an uncomfortable place for me. I tend to juggle multiple works in progress simultaneously–drafting a shiny new idea, revising another, and querying or polishing another. It’s how I began my writing “career” (as of yet unpaid, but I refuse to call it a hobby) and it’s the only…
The Agent Showcase: Advice from a PitchWars Flop
First, DISCLAIMERS: I don’t actually consider myself, or anyone, a “PitchWars flop,” but, “Advice from a PitchWars-mentee-who-didn’t-achieve-her-showcase-goal-but-learned-and-made-friends-and-is-still-querying-and-hasn’t-given-up’” isn’t QUITE as pithy. (Plus, I’ll know who actually reads and who doesn’t from the “hey, don’t call yourself that!” responses. *devil horns*) Also, Pitchwars had a major evolution this past year (2018), with much thought and care…
Books by other Emilys
Sorry I’ve gone dark recently, friends. I was so determined to have my current manuscript ready to query by October but that did not happen, so I’ve been scrambling to get back on track for a while now, while juggling a writing class, kids, volunteering at Writer House and a kitten rescue, plus the self-induced…
Queries? Must we?
Hey, let’s talk about queries. Evil little suckers, aren’t they? I loathe queries. When they’re mine, at least. Months of carefully crafting a story, with all its layers and themes and emotional motivations, and then we’re expected to condense it down to 250 words? Ugh, misery. I think we should all just write each other’s…
Okay, fine.
I’ve been stalling, I’ll admit it. For months, I’ve been mentally drafting my “PitchWars Eve” post. “Soon,” I’d tell myself. “After I hear back from Agent X. Then I’ll write it.” But there was always another agent. Another query. Another excuse. Another reason to postpone it. Because I knew what kind of post I wanted…
Back in the Saddle
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…