Publishing is hard. We all know that. What makes it harder is bad timing and unclear focus. It’s easy to get lost in the art of writing long before you consider the business of writing, but at the end of the day, publishing is a business. You should have your business plan in mind before… Continue reading Publishing Questions I Ask Myself Before I Start Writing a Book
When Are You Ready to Query?
Writers who want to publish with the Big Five need literary agents. To get a literary agent, one must query. To do that, you need your entire publishing package ready. That includes your formatted manuscript, query letter, and 1-page synopsis. Let’s say you have all three of these items right in front of you. How… Continue reading When Are You Ready to Query?
February Writing Journey Wrap-Up
Every month, I write a writing journey wrap-up post. It includes how many words I’ve written, what I’m working on, my wins, my losses, and other miscellaneous facts you may find interesting. First up this February, I wanted to congratulate our Pitch Wars 2020 mentee, Miranda Sun! She announced her six-figure, two-book deal with HarperCollins… Continue reading February Writing Journey Wrap-Up
I Almost Self-Rejected Myself Out of a Publishing Opportunity
Last month, you may have noticed my blog post - Yes, Writers Need to Hear the Hard Truths. But Warnings Can Go Too Far. - go up on Jane Friedman’s website. I was absolutely thrilled by this. I’m a long-time fan of Jane’s blog and book, The Business of Being a Writer. I also regularly attend… Continue reading I Almost Self-Rejected Myself Out of a Publishing Opportunity
Shannon’s Top Three Tips for Writing Romance
It's February, so romance is in the publishing air. Whether or not you write romance novels or have romantic subplots in your work, almost every writer has had to think through a couple's relationship in their work. Here are my top three tips for writing romance. 1. Read Romance: As Stephen King famously said, "If… Continue reading Shannon’s Top Three Tips for Writing Romance
January Writing Journey Wrap-Up
Every month I write about everything I did to chase my writing dream. These were my wins this past January.
The Truth About Giving Up on Writing
Have you ever considered giving up on writing? I know I have. Though I’ve been writing stories as long as I can remember, I consider myself as having two true starts. 1) When I was eleven, my mom died unexpectedly, and I told myself that day I would spend my life pursuing my dreams, no… Continue reading The Truth About Giving Up on Writing
Make This Your #1 Writing Goal in 2022
Happy New Year! Can you believe it’s 2022? I know I sure can’t. This year, I will have my ten-year blogging anniversary in September. That fact alone gives me a lot of reasons to reflect. But enough about reflecting. What about taking action? Setting goals can be a tricky business. How many should you set?… Continue reading Make This Your #1 Writing Goal in 2022
2021: The Year of Dramatic, Unfinished Change
Every year, I take time to reflect on where I am, where I’ve been, and where I’m going. Last year was deemed The Strangest Writing Year (Hopefully?), and this year, I’ve decided to call it The Year of Dramatic, Unfinished Change. (Though, that may be too dramatic in itself.) Onto why that is (and also… Continue reading 2021: The Year of Dramatic, Unfinished Change
My Favorite Books of 2021
Every year I blog about my favorite reads, though I admit that this year was hard! I went really out of my comfort zone and read a lot of age categories and genres, but particularly adult romance, including the famous Ice Planet Barbarians series. This was also just a busy year in general for me.… Continue reading My Favorite Books of 2021
